Ruby Moon
by impalame
Summary: If someone told her that right in that compartment on her way to Hogwarts she would meet the love of her life, she would have died of laughter. Besides, she didn’t even believe in ‘soul mates' or whatever. Too bad that person was right. Remus/OC REVIEW!
1. Prologue

**AN#1: **This story is being re-posted from my old profile. Editing has been done!

**AN#2: **Okay, so since I'm totally and unconditionally in love with my friend's story "Orange Skies" (go to my profile under favorite stories to read!) and I love the Remus/OC pairing that's there, I will be writing a spin-off. Please note that as the original story is mainly Sirius/OC, this one will mostly be Remus/OC. Sorry if you don't like that.

Remember to **Read and Review **both stories because we love to hear from you!

**Disclaimer: **I own pretty much nothing in this story since it is a spin-off of my friend's story and all the characters (no matter how much I may have inspired them) belong to her. Except of course those that belong to J. K. Rowling, in which case neither of us own them. I am however adding minor characters (such as Caitlin's family) and writing under permission of the original creator.

Wow, didn't that sound professional!

**Ruby Moon**

**Prologue**

Caitlin Hurst was the kind of person who never judged someone until she had a reason too. She couldn't look at a person and assume they were smart or stupid, pretty or ugly, or even good or evil. It just wasn't who she was. For that reason, she never let her guard down around anyone until she knew them well enough for them to be friends. She wasn't the type of person to believe what others told her, until she found out for herself. And finding out for herself usually landed her in tight situations.

Now taking all of these things into consideration, it didn't mean she was naive or blind. She did know right from wrong and she knew to trust her first instincts. Her only fault was that her curiosity often got the better of her.

Another thing about Caitlin was that, unlike most girls her age, she already knew who she was and where she was going. She knew she wasn't 'perfect', one reason being that she didn't believe in perfection. And when it came to Caitlin and believing in something, she had to find out for herself.

Needless to say, she hadn't found 'perfect' yet.

Caitlin had grown to love her dark auburn hair, and though it could be a pain at times, didn't want to change it. She thought her cerulean eyes were the color of an icy blue sea, but held warmth that could match a blazing fire. Caitlin knew she wasn't the thinnest person ever, and in all honesty she didn't want to be; her curvy figure and paler-than-pale skin suited her just fine. She was smarter than some, but struggled more than others would think. She was fairly athletic, but would never consider doing anything professionally. And most importantly, she didn't look for 'Mr. Right' or 'Prince Charming'. Again, she didn't believe that he even existed.

But there was always one thing Caitlin did believe in, even from a young age.

Magic.

Caitlin came from a pureblood family, so she didn't know the difference between magic and no magic, unlike a half blood or Muggleborn. Magic had just always been around her. She could remember her crib that was literally suspended in the air and rocked back and forth without the help of another force. She could recall her mother cleaning the kitchen using magic, the dishes scrubbing themselves in the sink and a broom sweeping dust off the floor of its own accord. Caitlin remembered that she would wait by the door to watch her father pop out of nowhere in the front garden on his way home from work. Yes, magic had been as normal as breathing in her home and she never thought differently.

Ever since she had been told about it, Caitlin anticipated the summer that would surely bring her school letter and with it the wonder of Hogwarts. Her parents had told her countless stories of times when they attended the school; it was even where they had first met. They told her of the classes and teachers and all the secrets that the castle held. Her father, being a bit of a history buff himself, spoke to her about the history of the school and its four famous founders. Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin were some of the most astounding witches and wizards in history. Even Dumbledore, her soon to be headmaster, had a remarkable history. Caitlin had read some of the school's history books, including _Hogwarts: A History_, though these could not hold her interest for more than a few minutes and she left her imagination to do the rest.

That was why when her letter came only a few days after her eleventh birthday, she was screaming with glee.

"_Caitlin, eat your breakfast, dear. We have to leave for Uncle Hal's soon and you still have to pack!" her mother chided as she washed the dishes magically._

_Caitlin scowled at her mother's turned back and roughly rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She pulled her hand away only to leave her eyes watering, and no doubt red and slightly puffy. They were going to visit her Uncle Hal, who had spent the last year in Romania studying the effects of the environment on dragons or something, and were spending the weekend at his home in London. Caitlin was not particularly excited about this trip, knowing she would have to spend hours listening to stories and tales that she had already heard a hundred times. She grumbled something unintelligent and continued to push her eggs around her plate._

_Adeline Hurst turned from her place at the sink and gave her daughter a disapproving look. She always had that look whenever Caitlin did something 'unladylike', the look that clearly told Caitlin that her mother knew she could do better. _

_Being part of a pureblood family brought a lot of expectations, and although her parents were not like those who treated those of 'dirty blood' with less respect, they were still expected to set examples for the rest of the community. For Caitlin, that meant attending fancy parties and dancing with stuck up fools and keeping her mouth shut unless she was spoken too. For the longest time she had asked her father why she had to do those things, but the only answer she ever got was, "So He can't pick us out." She still had no idea what that meant or who 'He' was, but she did as she was told and followed her mother's example. _

"_Fine, don't eat! But don't complain to me later when you're hungry because I won't get up to feed you!" her mother scolded._

_Caitlin laughed knowing full well that if she asked later for food, her mother would jump from her seat and rush to get something. Her parents never could be strict with their daughter, something that Caitlin was always thankful for. _

_Her mother too burst into a bout of laughter just as Dane Hurst stepped inside the kitchen. His warm smile and shining eyes lit up at the sight of his hysterical wife and daughter, and Caitlin could feel her weariness already slipping away._

"_What have you done now?" he asked Caitlin good-naturedly, setting down his hat and taking a place beside her._

_Caitlin tried to put on an appalled face, but failed miserably as she was still trying to control her giggles. "I haven't done anything! I was just minding my own business, trying to eat my breakfast!"_

_Dane Hurst chuckled and patted her head affectionately, still smiling his loving grin. A full plate was put in front of him and he picked up his fork while resting his forearms on the edge of the table, as if to prepare himself for the bounty he was about to devour. Caitlin always noticed little quirks like this, she supposed it came from always observing people when she was trying to make sense of them, and the tiny habits her father did never failed to bring a smile to her face. _

"_Did I tell you I ran into Mark Potter the other day in Diagon Alley? Always been a nice bloke, still looks the same he does! Remember him Adeline? He was a Gryffindor like me, maybe you don't remember being in Ravenclaw, but he always was the center of attention!" Dane said with a tone that warned Caitlin a story was coming on. "Never could go anywhere without seeing or hearing about Mark Potter," he added to Caitlin. _

_Caitlin's mother turned around with a smile. "Of course I remember him! He was the subject for all of us girls back in the day. Did he say how Mae was? Oh, I haven't heard from her in years! Not since the Potters' last party…when was that? I think Caitie was eight or nine…" Adeline rambled, her eyes fixed out the window behind them. _

_Her father chuckled again. "Yes, Mae is doing fine. And I think she will be hosting another party according to Mark. Christmas I think he said ..."_

_Caitlin watched as her mother's face lit with joy and she could already see the preparations forming in her head._

"_Anyway," her father continued, "little James was with him when I bumped into him. You should see him now, Adeline! Growing like a weed that boy is and just like his father! Apparently the boy's got a knack for Quidditch and at such a young age too! Could just be Mark was bluffing, but the lad did have his eyes fixed on that new Quidditch shop they set up there. Gave him a few galleons and told him to buy something nice as to make up for all the birthdays we've missed."_

_Adeline smiled at her husband and Caitlin couldn't help but do the same. Only her father would think of giving an eleven year old boy he barely knew money to go buy 'birthday presents'._

_Dane Hurst turned to Caitlin, who had now completely abandoned all attempts of finishing her breakfast, and grinned. "Mark asked about you too Caitie, and I told him, 'Mark! Not to brag, but I have the smartest, prettiest, funniest daughter in all of Great Britain! She'll be the most amazing witch we've seen yet!'"_

"_Daddy!" Caitlin said rolling her eyes._

_Her father laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I know, I know," he said, "no bragging! But it's the truth my dear and a good man like Mr. Potter deserves the truth!" _

_Caitlin rolled her eyes again and her father chuckled, finally starting on his meal. _

"_Besides the point that you are the smartest, prettiest, funniest girl in all of Great Britain," her mother began, "you had better watch out for young Mr. Potter at school. I heard from Mae that he is quite the trickster! I can't imagine the things he's done, but…he's a nice boy. Just be careful with him."_

_Caitlin smiled, knowing she would have to find out herself, and turned towards the winding staircase that led to the second floor of the house. She took one step when her mother said, "Speaking of school…"_

_She turned back around and saw a smile on her mother's face and her eyes looking out the window. Caitlin looked too and nearly fell to her knees. In the distance, was a tiny black dot flying through the air, growing closer and closer to her home._

"_My letter!" Caitlin exclaimed before dashing over to open the window. It was not long before the owl landed on the window sill and Caitlin was shaking with excitement. The owl's feathers were dark brown spotted with black and its eyes were a glowing yellow. In its beak it held a single letter, rather small but thick enough in size for Caitlin to know exactly what it was._

_With a shaking hand, she reached out and took the letter from the owl (which promptly flew off) and closed the window again. She turned slowly, her eyes seeing only the neat black cursive writing that marked the front of the envelope. Caitlin gently turned it over, as if afraid it would shatter if she moved it too quickly, and glance over the waxy red seal engraved with the Hogwarts' crest. _

_She didn't even realize she was still standing by the window staring down at the letter, until her father said, "C'mon, let's have a look!"_

_Caitlin looked up startled, before walked over to her parents, who watched her with encouraging, proud smiles. She sat back in her chair and tenderly tore open the envelope and pulled the parchment from its confines. Carefully, she unfolded the paper and began to read, "Miss Caitlin Hurst, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."_

_She couldn't believe it. She was finally going to Hogwarts! All the years of waiting were over. She was finally going!_

"_Excellent Caitie! Oh, you'll love it! You must be so excited! Let me see your supply list!" her mother exclaimed holding out her hand._

_Caitlin passed her the adjoining letter and continued to read the rest of hers. Dane Hurst read over her shoulder and kissed the top of her head every so often, but Caitlin hardly noticed. She was too busy planning her future._

"_Good, good," her mother said as her eyes passed over the letter. "We can get most of this in London while we're at your Uncle's. They do have shops that have these things, Dane? Heavens, it's been so long since I've walked through Diagon Alley!" Adeline handed the letter to Caitlin's father, who looked it over once and nodded. _

"_Yes, all these supplies can be bought in Diagon Alley. Maybe we should rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron for a night! Caitie's never seen that part of London before, it'd be good for her to get the whole experience, wouldn't it? Maybe…Good Lord, is that the time?! We have to get going!" he said, checking his watch._

_Adeline rushed Caitlin up the stairs to her room, where she threw on the outfit she had picked the night before and tossed whatever she could reach into a weekend bag. She was too busy to worry about what exactly she was putting in there._

_She was thinking about Hogwarts. _

So, Caitlin had gone to her Uncle Hal's for the weekend, listened to the same stories over and over again, spent a night at the Leaky Cauldron, bought all of her school things and even had time to look around Diagon Alley. That felt like ages ago to her. Now she sat on her bed in what felt like an empty room, her truck packed, her wand tucked away safely in her jeans' pocket. Her new kitten Chase, a gift from her parents, was tucked away in his carrying case with only his dark, black fur and yellow eyes visible.

"Caitlin?"

She looked over to the door to find her father poking his head through the crack. Caitlin smiled and stood up from her bed and grabbed Chase's case. Her father came in and grabbed her truck and the two made their way down the stairs.

Adeline Hurst was waiting by the front door, a brilliant smile on her face and her hands folded behind her back. Caitlin and her father stopped at the door and her mother pulled a small box from behind her back.

"Caitie, I want to show you something," Adeline said and she lifted the lid off of the top of the box. Inside was a beautiful turquoise pendant hanging off a shinning silver chain with delicate carvings and intricate details. It was one of the most stunning things Caitlin had ever seen and she found herself unable to look away.

"My mother gave this to me when I started school. She said it would make me feel at home when I was away," Adeline told her while taking the necklace from its box and clasping it around Caitlin's neck. The precious stone hung around her neck, falling beneath the neck of her shirt, just over her heart. Her mother smiled and said, "I hope it does the same for you."

Caitlin smiled and was vaguely aware that her eyes were beginning to fill up with tears, but ignored it and flung her arms around her mother. Her mother hugged her tightly and Caitlin said thank you a million times before she let go.

"C'mon now, best not be late," said her mother.

Once again, Caitlin picked up her kitten's case and headed out the door happily, her parents following behind.

When Caitlin and her family reached Platform Nine and Three Quarters, she was nearly bouncing off the walls. Her father actually had to keep one hand grasped on her shoulder, just to stop her from running away. The gleaming scarlet Hogwarts Express waited by the side, smoke billowing from its engine and the whistle blowing loudly, while packs of families crowded onto the platform.

Caitlin dragged her parents to a nearly empty compartment near the back of the train, where they loaded her truck onto the overhead rack and she placed Chase's carrier on an empty seat. Caitlin followed them back outside onto the platform where they would say their final goodbyes.

"Alright darling, be good. Do your work and try your best. That's all we can ask of you," her father told her before kissing her on the forehead.

"And write often. You know we'll want to hear from you," her mother added giving her a tight squeeze and a kiss on the forehead as well.

Caitlin pulled away from her parents and smiled. She nodded, letting them know that she would do everything they asked, and said, "I'll miss you."

Her parents smiled and before Caitlin could break down and cry with joy and sadness, she ran off back towards the train. She walked down to her compartment, which was still empty minus the unfamiliar luggage, and she sat down on the seat beside Chase. He meowed in a way that made her think he was irritated, so she opened the carrier and pulled him onto her lap. He curled up into a little black ball in her lap and began to purr contentedly, while Caitlin looked out the window at the stationary landscape outside.

Suddenly, the train lurched into forward motion and the door slid open to reveal a girl about her age. The girl had straight dark brown hair and vibrant blue eyes, just like Caitlin. She was tinier and gave the impression that she was about to break under nervous pressure. This must have been the stranger who owned the extra luggage, because she looked at Caitlin with wide eyes, as if she were surprised to find another student on the train.

The girl did not move from the doorway, in fact it looked like she wasn't breathing at all, so Caitlin decided she would have to speak first.

"Hello, my name is Caitlin Hurst. This is Chase. Are you in here too?" she said as politely as possible. The girl nodded and snapped out of her stillness, moving into the room and sitting across from Caitlin.

"I'm Arianna Carden. Are you a first year as well?" the girl asked sitting uncomfortably straight in her seat.

"Yep. I can't believe we're finally going to Hogwarts! I've been waiting for this forever, haven't you?" Caitlin said excitedly.

Arianna did not answer and she hung her head, making Caitlin wonder if she had said something wrong. The girl across from her now looked terrified, and something in the back of Caitlin's head clicked.

"Don't worry, I don't care if you're Muggleborn," Caitlin said soothingly. Arianna looked up, question filling her eyes. "I don't believe in all that 'purebloods only' stuff, really," Caitlin continued. "If you're magic that's all that should matter, right?"

"You really don't mind?" Arianna asked cautiously.

Caitlin shook her head. The idea that she should think that just because someone didn't come from a prestigious wizarding bloodline meant that they were less than her was ridiculous. Her parents had taught her that everyone in the world was equal and should be treated with respect.

Arianna visibly relaxed. Her posture became much less stiff and she gave Caitlin a dazzling white smile.

"I still can't believe this is all real. A month ago I thought magic was just tricks that magicians did!" Arianna exclaimed.

Caitlin furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Magicians?"

"Never mind," Arianna laughed.

Caitlin laughed too and soon they were talking like they were old friends catching up.

So, Caitlin had a problem believing things before she saw them first hand. Like Arianna Carden. If someone had told her that she would meet a funny, beautiful, talented Muggleborn witch who would become her best friend, she would have laughed in their face. But from then on she believed it.

However if someone told her that right in that compartment on her way to Hogwarts she would meet the love of her life, she would have died of laughter. It was a ridiculous notion. It was an impossibility. Besides, she didn't even believe in 'soul mates' or whatever else there was.

It wasn't happening.

Too bad for Caitlin Hurst and her system of seeing things first hand because the person who predicted that she would meet her true love…

That person was right.


	2. And Back Again

**AN: **Okay, here's another chapter! Enjoy and don't forget to **Read and Review :) **

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything or anyone. They are the property of J. K. Rowling or my friend. Although I wish I had come up with it first…

**Ruby Moon**

**And Back Again**

It was like this every year. The rushing, the crowds, the shouting over the steam engine whistle. And she was still annoyed by it. You'd think after sixteen years of doing this people would start getting used to it and calm down.

Apparently not.

Caitlin pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and tied it back while parents shouted good-byes to their children. She rolled her eyes dramatically at the sound of one mother's joyous sobs, but she didn't get the usual reaction.

Arianna Carden sat across from her, probably unknowingly in the very same seat as their first year, her eyes gazing out the window no doubt watching for their other friends. Caitlin and Arianna had been attached at the hip since that fateful day six years ago; they told each other everything, went to class with each other, sat together at meals – it didn't take them much to become best friends. They knew they could trust each other completely and Caitlin would literally give her life for Arianna's.

"Brilliant of you to come early, Caitie," Arianna mumbled, her eyes fixed on the platform outside. "Thank the gods we don't have to share a compartment with those arrogant Slytherin prats like last year."

Caitlin nearly fell out of her seat in astonishment.

She snorted. "Thanks the gods? Ari, you should be thanking me! You know… the one who thought of getting her ass up early to save us all a compartment to ourselves?"

Arianna looked away from the window with a grin on her face. "Yes, her too," she said.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Just be glad I had some coffee this morning. I have no idea how I managed to get myself out of bed at all really."

"Didn't you say your mom levitated you through the house and dropped you into the pool?" Arianna said giving her an amused look.

Caitlin made a face too. "Oh yeah. Nice of her," she grumbled.

Arianna smiled wider if possible and replied, "Certainly it was."

"Says the girl who got to sleep in 'till ten," Caitlin answered witheringly. It's not that she was mad at Arianna, but when it came to sleep Caitlin wanted as much as possible. And when others got more than her, she was slightly jealous. One of the problems with this was that Arianna and her other best friend Lily Evans, were always there to make sure she was up and ready at a reasonable time.

"Where are they?" Arianna asked, more to herself than to Caitlin, as she went back to looking out the window.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and stood up from her seat. "Would you relax Ari?" she requested as she plopped herself down into the place beside Arianna. "They'll be here. Unless of course Sirius does something stupid and they have to run after the train again."

Caitlin thought back to last year, when Arianna, Lily, and herself were waiting for the boys to show up. They were all beginning to panic, even Lily who usually showed a collected, calm face. They wondered if the boys would actually miss the train. The train had lurched into motion and the girls shared a worried glance. However their panic vanished when they heard a shout come from the platform.

Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter where hurdling down the platform after the train - all carrying their luggage – with looks of relief, annoyance, and frustration on their faces.

It turned out that Sirius thought it would be fun to take the long way to Platform Nine and Three Quarters and ended up getting them lost. They got through the barrier at the last possible second and onto the train just as it turned out of the station. Sirius got a slap on the head from James and Remus and a sympathetic look from Peter.

And that was the way it always was. Caitlin loved all her friends dearly, and time had strengthened the relationships they first had. Although Arianna Carden and Lily Evans were her closest friends, she still felt like she could trust the boys as well. James was like an older brother to her; he was overly protective and always had her back. Sirius always made her laugh, and when she felt down, he knew exactly how to pick her right back up. Peter wasn't quite as close as the others, but Caitlin always knew that he was supportive of her.

And Remus was like no one she had ever met. He was smart, unbelievably so, but he always found time to help his friends. He was caring and sensitive, he knew when to take someone seriously, and he was great at giving moral support. And there was something about him that Caitlin couldn't quite put her finger on, but whenever he was in the same room all the tension seemed to melt away.

She stopped suddenly, realizing that five years had passed already. It seemed like just yesterday that Sirius and James had waltzed into their compartment, but in fact it was so long ago. They were in their sixth year, a mind-boggling idea. There was such little time left before they would leave Hogwarts for good, and the thought made Caitlin a little depressed.

Just as the thought entered her mind, the ear-splitting train whistle blew and the compartment door slid open.

"Ah, came just in time then," Sirius Black said as he walked into the compartment in his usual smug manner. If Caitlin wasn't one of his closest friends, she probably would have gawked and stared like every other girl on the train. He was handsome, she had to admit, but she wasn't going to swoon over him any time in the near or distant future. She knew him too well to see him like that. Caitlin had seen him at his highs and lows, knew some of his best kept secrets, and loved him like a brother. Besides, falling in love with a friend was _definitely_ out of the question.

Sirius put on a lopsided smirk, which should be considered lethal for what it made girls do, and threw himself in between Caitlin and Arianna, forcing them to move quickly out of the way before getting squished. He threw an arm over each of their shoulders and exclaimed, "My two favorite girls!"

"Favorite girls?" Caitlin questioned, a grin starting to form on her lips, "now what happened to that girl over the summer? Whatserrname, Sheila?"

Caitlin was aware that Sirius was a player. He went through girls like changes in the weather and never stopped to think twice about it. Or once for that matter. She sometimes worried that Hogwarts' female population (minus three) would gang up on him for what he'd done, but it seemed they were a long way from figuring that one out.

She looked back to see a look of confusion sweep across Sirius' face, then to be quickly replaced by one of understanding. "Oh, Sheila was long ago. Things were going rocky already and then Michelle came along. You know I have a weakness for blondes," he said grinning. Caitlin was suddenly grateful she had dark hair.

"You have a weakness for anything that has boobs," Arianna said, a teasing tone lacing every word. They often did this to Sirius, playfully teasing him, because they knew that no matter what they said he had little chance of getting out of it.

Sirius contorted his face into one of mock hurt. "Now that, my dear Ari, is not true! I've never flirted with Louise Grant in my life!"

Caitlin snorted. "Okay, you have a weakness for any girl decent looking enough," she said. "Not much of a difference."

Sirius knotted his eyebrows together, trying to come up with another excuse no doubt, and then smiled. "So you two had a good summer then?" he asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject. Caitlin looked quickly at Arianna, who smiled, and they silently decided to let him off the hook. This time.

"Oh, brilliant summer! I got to visit my brother Nick in Italy. Their gelato is divine! So are _many_ of the boys there," Arianna gushed.

Caitlin grinned, knowing that her friends would get a kick out of this, and said, "Psh, nothing compares to my summer! It was amazing! I got to sleep in for two whole months!"

Like she suspected, her friends rolled their eyes, probably both thinking that she was crazy. When she was sure they were done, Caitlin turned to Sirius and asked, "Where's everyone else Sirius?"

"Oh, well of course our lovely Lily went to the prefect cabin, along with Moony. Jamesickle and Petey are out there somewhere saying goodbye to their dear parents," he said, counting off all of their friends with his fingers.

"And what? You didn't stay long enough to say buhbye to your dear mummy?" Arianna teased. Caitlin knew that she was being light-hearted, but Arianna's comment got to Sirius a bit. Caitlin knew that Sirius loathed his parents because they were the perfect example of what a pure-blooded wizarding family was supposed to be. They hated Muggleborns and anyone who associated with them, including their own son. Ever since Sirius had befriended Arianna and Lily they had thought of him as nothing more than a blood-traitor and treated him like the dirt on their shoes. Caitlin had met them a few years ago, at a 'pure-blood party' that she and Sirius had been forced to attend. Thankfully, they had had each other, but when she met his parents, at first they seemed glad that Sirius was friends with a pure-blood. Then they found out she was in Gryffindor as well and suddenly they had never met Caitlin Hurst.

Caitlin was pulled from her thoughts when the compartment door slid open again, and the messy haired, glasses wearing James Potter entered.

"Geez, mum's been acting like she won't see me again for years. You'd think after five years she'd get used to this," he said begrudgingly. He wore an exasperated look on his face but once he saw Caitlin and Arianna, he grinned and said, "Hey there cuties."

Before either girl could answer, Sirius said, "I'm flattered that you think I'm cute, Jamesie, but don't you think it's kind of awkward for one boy to say to another that he thinks he's cute? Especially since we have such a close friendship, I wouldn't want to ruin anything."

Caitlin and Arianna burst into laughter earning a triumphant grin from Sirius and a glare from James.

"Woah now, James. Now what happened to Lily? Finally given up on her?" Arianna said after she had controlled her laughter. Caitlin wasn't having much luck and was shaking and red in the face from trying to stop her giggles. James continued to glare.

Sirius stood and gave James a loving shove before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nah, I was only kidding. The guy's still head over heels in love."

James gave Sirius an annoyed look and Caitlin (after calming down) said, "That's good. I think she's this close to caving, James."

James suddenly forgot his irritation at Sirius and turned to her, his face full of hope. "Really? Did she mention me at all this summer? What did she say?"

Caitlin and Arianna couldn't help but laugh again; the look on his face was priceless! Caitlin was now close to tears and her stomach muscles were screaming; she didn't know how much more she could handle.

"Woah, slow down boy. I see Sirius wasn't lying. You're still madly in love. That's so cute," Arianna added the last part when James glared at her again seeming to think that she was teasing him.

Caitlin took a deep breath and said, "I'm just saying, she seems to have warmed up to you more at the end of last year. I wouldn't be surprised when one of these days she comes running to me and Ari confessing her undying love for you."

James' expression quickly turned to one of smug satisfaction. "See? I told you I'd get her to like me one of these days. And all of you teased me for liking her all these years…"

"Well, we never said that we knew for sure that she likes you. Just a hunch. All the same, congratulations Jamesie," Caitlin said while grinning.

"Hi guys!"

The four turned to the compartment door once again and found Peter Pettigrew standing there looking tired and windblown. Peter was definitely different from the other two boys; he was short and round rather than tall and muscular. And also unlike the other two, he always wore a look of either nervousness or confusion.

"Mum let me go just in time," he continued while walking in and taking a place across from them. "I almost didn't make the train."

The train lurched into motion, everyone greeted Peter and eventually when they settled down, Caitlin asked the question she had been dying to ask since they got on the train.

"So how did everyone do on their OWLS?" she blurted out. She was anxious to hear what the others got and she wanted to tell them what she had gotten too, but they would not be surprised by her scores. Caitlin was always a hard worker and the top in many of her classes. Good marks just came naturally to her, yet she still managed to panic and worry before each exam.

Sirius and James shared their scores (James had actually managed to fall asleep during his History of Magic Exam) and then Arianna told them hers.

"I only failed History of Magic. And I got four OWLS! Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology," she exclaimed proudly.

Caitlin and the others clapped, knowing how hard Arianna had studied for her exams, and then Sirius opened his mouth.

"Congrats, Ria! I always knew that you had some smarts somewhere deep down in you," he said.

Arianna made a face and Caitlin braced herself for what was to come. James and Peter also looked cautiously between the two as if trying to guess who would explode first. "Are you saying you think I'm dumb?" Arianna asked.

Sirius could have stopped there. He _should_ have stopped there. But, he didn't.

"I think you said it for me!" Sirius replied. Caitlin saw flames erupt in Arianna's eyes as she jumped from her seat, but Sirius was already in the corridor with the compartment door separating them. Caitlin contemplated getting up to calm Arianna down, knowing full well that as soon as she got the chance she would wring Sirius' neck, but decided that for her own protection she should remain seated.

"Sirius Black, I swear when you come back in here I'll --" Arianna bellowed.

"You'll what?" Sirius interrupted. "Smother me with kisses? Admit it, Ari, you know you wanna! No woman can resist this manly figure!" Just for dramatic purposes, he posed there out in the hallway, giving his most devilishly handsome gaze.

Boy, was he stupid.

Arianna glared and Caitlin knew exactly what she was feeling. Arianna had told her that she hated the way Sirius acted so pompous and vain and how annoyed it made her. What Caitlin didn't know was that Arianna just about wanted to murder Sirius right there on their way to Hogwarts.

"You arrogant, self-obsessed, basta-"

Suddenly the door flew open and Sirius marched back inside, lightly shoving Arianna against the opposite wall. This time Caitlin stood up, thinking that he had hurt her, but was frozen in place when she really looked. Sirius had Arianna pinned to the wall, his body pressed against hers, and their faces were literally inches apart. Caitlin wanted to turn away, but she was so shocked that she found it impossible to even move her eyes.

It took a while for Sirius to say, "What? Bastard?" Caitlin figured that he meant the conversation to be heard by only him and Arianna, but in the dead silence of the compartment she was sure they all heard. "Tell me right now that you don't like being this close to me," he said. There was a slight pause, in which Caitlin saw Arianna's face flush with color, but she neither confirmed nor denied the fact. Somehow Caitlin thought that if she wasn't as stubborn as she was, Arianna would have confirmed.

"Can't do it, can ya?"

Sirius pulled away from her and casually took his seat in the corner, but Arianna seemed to be unable to move.

"What was that mate?" James asked with eyebrows raised. Caitlin mentally thanked him for being the one to ask, because she wanted to know the exact same thing.

Sirius merely shrugged. "Just showing that even if I do seem arrogant, I'm only using my looks to my advantage. What guy wouldn't want a girl to be like that after just a few mere seconds with them?" He gestured to Arianna who had sat down again, but was still flushed.

"Huh. Thanks for the demonstration, Padfoot," Arianna said, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Caitlin slowly regained mobility and sat back down in her own corner, wondering what on earth had just happened. Was that all really just to prove that he was being _smart_? Or was it something entirely different?

They soon ignored the situation, as their group did when awkward occurrences happened, and again began to talk about their summers. As the day wore on and lunch (a mini-feast of sugar for the boys) passed, they were once again interrupted by the door opening.

Lily was as beautiful as ever and her fiery red hair was longer than it was the last time Caitlin had seen it. Her green eyes were still piercing and her bright smile still lit up when she saw Caitlin and Arianna.

"Lily!" they both screamed and hurled themselves at her. Lily laughed and hugged them back just as tightly, earning snickers from the boys, and they all said their rushed greetings.

Arianna was so excited that she dragged Lily over to her seat in the compartment and began showering her with questions, before Caitlin could get even one in. She smiled as Lily opened and closed her mouth, changing her answer every time Arianna changed her question.

She wouldn't have even noticed he was there if he hadn't spoken first.

"Hello Caitie."

Caitlin turned around and came face to face with Remus Lupin. He must have grown two inches over the summer and she now came up to about his eye level. His mousy brown hair was still the same and his brown eyes were just as warm as they were the last time she saw them. He was pretty much the same; however there was something about him that Caitlin found strange. Not strange in a bad way, just strange as in different. She only wished she knew what it was.

"Remus!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around his neck, gathering him in a hug. Remus chuckled slightly and wrapped him arms around her waist, bringing her into his chest for a hug. Caitlin realized that he had a sort of woodsy scent, something she hadn't noticed before, and she found it oddly comforting.

She pulled away slightly to look up at him and found him looking down at her with a gentle smile on his face.

"How are you?" he asked, quiet enough so the others couldn't hear, but loud enough that she could.

"I'm well," Caitlin answered smiling. "And you?"

He shrugged a bit and gave her a small smile. "I've been better."

Caitlin smiled back, knowing about his 'furry little problem' and figured he mustn't be feeling all too well at the moment. Before she could say anything else Sirius called Remus over.

A short while later Caitlin found herself sitting in her spot alone, slowly becoming more and more tiresome. She was staring off into space, or so she thought, when Remus came over and sat beside her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Caitlin looked at him questioningly. "Nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. Only you've been staring at me for the last fifteen minutes," he said with a grin on his face.

Caitlin looked in the direction that she had been staring and found Remus' empty seat, which had previously been occupied.

"Oh! No, I was just staring off, you know. Not really paying attention," she told him.

Remus nodded his head, but still looked at her skeptically. Caitlin rolled her eyes and he laughed quietly. "Alright, alright. I believe you."

Caitlin yawned and rested her head on his shoulder. Again she smelled that pine needle smell and immediately relaxed. She was surprised when Remus wrapped his arms around her, but was slightly more comfortable so she didn't say anything.

They didn't speak, and they didn't have too, because they both knew that they really had no words to describe how content they were feeling.

XXX

It quickly became apparent that the boys thought they had been starved over the summer. The girls hadn't even so much as looked at the food when the boys began to pile it onto their plates. James and Sirius were already stuffing their faces with chicken, steak, and potatoes while Remus and Peter were hurriedly filling their plates to the brim with massive helpings. Caitlin stared at them, flatly refusing to believe that she was friends with these pigs.

"I don't get how you could stuff so much food in your mouth at once," Caitlin said in complete awe at James.

"I bet they put some kind of spell on their mouth to get all that food to fit," Lily said.

"Eee di noh!" Sirius said while trying to swallow the food that he had shoved into his mouth.

The girls laughed and shook their heads. They soon began to put some food on their plates (their portions being infinitely smaller than those of the boys), but by that time the guys were nearly done or going for seconds.

"Sirius you seem… down," Lily mentioned as dessert came on about half an hour later. The others, who were all busy tasting the treacle tart, turned to look at the boy, who now barely lifted his head up.

"What do you expect? I'm bloody tired. Someone had to stay awake to wake everyone up when we were near Hogwarts," Sirius muttered, his eyelids drooping.

Caitlin looked questioningly at Arianna, who was a little further down the table. She remembered that Arianna had said she would stay up to wake everyone else as she did every year. She wondered what was different this time.

She watched as Arianna and Sirius shared a hushed conversation and wondered what it could be about.

"Caitie?"

Caitlin pulled her attention to the person across from her and James looked at her expectantly.

"Are you going to try out for the team again this year?" he asked.

"The team…" she muttered distractedly as she strained her ears to hear the last of the conversation between Sirius and Arianna. She supposed she was being nosy, but her curiosity often got the better of her.

James rolled his eyes. "Yes, the team! Quidditch! Hello, earth to Caitie!" He snapped his fingers in front of her face and Caitlin looked back at him guiltily.

"Sorry, what?"

James looked from her down the table. "What were you looking at?"

Caitlin watched as a grin crossed his face and he looked back with knowing in his eyes. "What?" she asked.

"Why were you looking at Moony?"

Caitlin's mouth fell open and her eyes darted down the table. There, sitting across from Arianna and Sirius, was Remus Lupin. She began to quickly shake her head. She wasn't looking at him this time! She was watching the other two! Why did everyone assume she was always looking at him?

"I _was not_ looking at him!" she defended, her tone now turning harsh.

James continued to grin as he said, "Sure you weren't."

Caitlin huffed. "What were you saying about the team?"

"Are you going to try out again this year? What happened last year was really unlucky," James replied on a more serious note.

Caitlin had tried out as a Chaser for the Gryffindor team last year and made it, but then managed to screw up her arm during practice. She couldn't throw the ball for a long time and James ended up having to get a reserve player to play for her. She hated watching from the stands, knowing that she could have been out there playing, and she didn't want to go through that again.

"Definitely! Let's just hope I don't pull another stupid stunt," Caitlin answered.

James beamed. "Excellent! Now I only have to really worry about finding two players. That makes everything much easier," he said.

Caitlin smiled and finished her dinner, thinking about Quidditch and her warm bed waiting for her upstairs.


	3. An Impossible Idea

**AN: **Yey, new chapter! Hope you enjoyed the last one as much as I did! This next one will have some Lily/James and of course a little bit of Caitlin/Remus. And there's a lot more fun in this one as well! :)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing in this story (except maybe a half-right to Caitlin) they are the property of either J. K. Rowling or S.A. Sulit. Thanks you two!

**Ruby Moon**

**An Impossible Idea**

She thought she had heard the door open, but she was too tired to pay it any attention. Caitlin had just begun to doze into uninterrupted sleep, when a voice echoed through the dorm room.

"Morning Sunshine!" Arianna shouted gleefully.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me." Caitlin groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "Let me sleep in or I'll hex you both into next week!"

She shifted into a more comfortable position and sighed contently. Nothing would disturb this perfection that was sleeping in.

No one.

Something hard suddenly came into contact with her head and then the wind was knocked out of her as something jumped onto her stomach.

"Up and at 'em girlie!" Arianna laughed as she bounced on top of her.

Caitlin held the covers tightly over her head as she asked, "How often will you torture me like this?"

"Every day if we have to," said Lily's teasing voice. A gasp of shock and pain left Caitlin's mouth as a second person fell on top of her. Arianna and Lily giggled as Caitlin groaned again, this time loud enough to make sure they _had_ heard.

"You two are prats who have no respect for one's desire to sleep soundly!" she remarked.

There was a sigh. "I'm glad you think that," Arianna said calmly. "Now get up or we'll send another house elf up here and set him loose on you. Remember what happened last time we gave them orders to get you up?"

Beneath the covers, Caitlin's eyes grew wide as she recalled that last unfortunate incident. The house elves had been ordered to get her up, no matter what the cost. Loud ringing had magically appeared inside her head and when that failed, the elves had taken a page from her mother's book. They had splashed buckets of icy, cold water all over her, by the time she had furiously risen from bed.

"You wouldn't," Caitlin said unbelievingly. They were desperate to get her up, but not _that _desperate.

"Oh yes we would," Lily said. "Besides, we're doing you a favour, really. By getting you to get up on time, we're preventing you from being late to your classes, which then prevents you from getting a detention."

Caitlin thought about that and suddenly realized that Arianna and Lily would do something crazy to get her up. That and they wouldn't feel any remorse whatsoever for whatever they had done.

She sighed. "Oh, what thoughtful, caring friends you are. Alright, I'm up, ok? No chance of getting back to sleep now with you two on my case. Now will you please just GET OFF?!"

Unfortunately, her exclamation had no affect on the two, for they continued their conversation as if she wasn't lying under them struggling to break free.

"Oh, touchy."

"Someone needs her happy pills today."

"No need for that. You think we can just charm her into being a grateful friend?"

"She should be glad there's no pool around. Otherwise we would have pulled a Mrs. Hurst on her."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. Fed up, she shoved as hard as she could against the blanket, pushing Lily and Arianna right off her. When she finally looked at them, she gave them a death glare, warning them that they were in for it today.

"Just so you know, you're going to be dealing with a very unhappy Caitlin this morning," she said indignantly.

They shrugged. "Don't worry. We deal with a very unhappy Caitlin every morning. We're used to it," Arianna said grinning.

Caitlin opened her mouth to retaliate, but Lily beat her to the punch. "Now you really should do something about your look, Caitie. I mean, we love you and all but if you show up in the Great Hall looking like that, we have no problem in pretending that we don't know you," she said, looking over Caitlin with laughter in her eyes. Arianna too was trying to stifle her laughter and Caitlin knew why.

Every morning, she woke up tired and dishevelled and her appearance did nothing to help her. Her hair was always sticking up at odd angles and her eyes were always drooping. The fact that she yawned every half minute didn't help her either.

And like every morning, she said, "Honestly, I'm too tired to care."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Fine then," she said before pointing her wand at Caitlin and muttering a few quick spells under her breath. Caitlin felt a slight tingle rush through her body as her hair was swept up into a neat half-up half-down ponytail and light makeup was applied to her face. She assumed she looked a great deal better because both Lily and Arianna broke into wide smiles.

Arianna jumped up enthusiastically. "Now brighten up, Sunshine, and get changed into your robes and then you'll be presentable again!" she said, pinching Caitlin's cheeks as if she were a five year-old. Caitlin batted her hands away and half heartedly got out of bed.

"Bloody morning people," she grumbled as she passed them, grabbing her school robes and heading over to the adjoining bathroom. Nobody was ever in there when she needed it, simply for the fact that everyone was already dressed and ready by the time she (or one of her friends) dragged her out of bed.

Looking in the mirror, Caitlin was instantly grateful she had met Lily. Who else could be so brilliant as to think to use these spells and save them a whole bunch of time? She made a mental note to ask Lily to show them to her later and began to quickly put her robes on. First, she pulled on her maroon skirt and white shirt, then her standard grey vest and gold and scarlet striped tie. Finally, she slung her black school robes around her shoulders and left the restroom, only to find Lily and Arianna waiting by the door.

"Oh, I just love sharing a dorm with you two! It's always oh so much fun!"

"Drop the sarcasm, hun, you're not gonna make us feel bad," Arianna said.

When they reached the Great Hall, it was already filled with students, though some were leaving, having already finished their breakfast. They immediately found James and Sirius, who were already making a scene, and the girls made their way over to them. Peter was eating a large helping of eggs and watching Sirius and James with admiration in his eyes. Remus was also there, a book on the table in front of him as usual.

Caitlin followed the others from the back, still too tired for conscious thought. Lily and Arianna sat down on either side of Remus, who looked up and smiled at them both.

'_How can he read so much? It's unbelievable! No one can hold that much information! Though…he does look rather handsome, his gorgeous brown eyes flittering across the…'_

Caitlin stopped mid-way through sitting down on the bench, one leg under the table and one on the other side. Did she just think what she thought she did? Handsome? Gorgeous brown eyes? Where in Merlin's name did that come from?

A hand touched her shoulder but Caitlin barely felt it. "Uhh, Caitie? Do you need any help?"

Caitlin looked over her shoulder at James, who had a grin plastered on his face and was shaking from holding back laughter. Only then did Caitlin realize how ridiculous she looked, and quickly sat down before anyone else could see.

'_I'm just bloody tired, is all. Not thinking straight.'_

She returned to the conversation to see everyone look up at the ceiling. Curious, she followed suit, and found a stormy gray sky and a flash of lightning.

"Glorious day? For who? If you haven't noticed, there's a thunderstorm going on outside," Lily said.

Caitlin had no idea why they were talking about the weather, until Sirius said, "I didn't say it was a glorious day for weather! I meant it's a glorious day for pranking!"

She rolled her eyes. Only Sirius (or perhaps James) would ever say something like that.

Beside her James chuckled. "Padfoot, with us, it's always a glorious day for pranking," he said.

"Precisely!"

Caitlin shook her head, completely unsurprised by this conversation. This was a regular morning routine for Sirius; act completely ridiculous and not give a rat's ass who saw.

She began to eat her breakfast while cautiously listening to James and Lily argue. Bickering was a common ground for them, and she wondered if they had ever gone a day without fighting _ever_. When she couldn't think of such a day and was fed up with hearing them row, she turned to the others.

"You know, by the way they argue like that, it seems as if they're already married," she said, though that thought scared her.

"James and Lily married?" Sirius pondered. "I'm not denying it will happen, but it'll be a long, long,_ long_ time before he convinces her."

"Just as long as he does convince her, I have no problem with that," Arianna replied while biting off a piece of buttered croissant.

Caitlin silently agreed. Though they didn't seem like it, Lily and James were perfect for each other. They bickered and fought, sure, and Lily had cursed him too many times to count, but deep, _deep_ down they both cared for each other. And whether Lily wanted to believe it or not, they would end up together and they would get married and have a bunch of little Potters. Caitlin laughed quietly to herself at the thought of another, or many, little James', just as Professor McGonagall came over to their table, her arms laden with timetables.

"I need to make your timetables, girls. Would you mind showing your OWL results?" she asked kindly, but sternly.

Caitlin dug through her bag until she found her timetable and handed it to her Head of House. Professor McGonagall looked it over carefully.

"Alright, Miss Hurst. You have seven OWLS and an Acceptable in History of Magic. Overall, very well done, though I know you could have done better in Divination," Professor McGonagall told her.

Caitlin nodded sheepishly. The truth was that Lily, Arianna, and herself thought Divination was a joke and Caitlin hadn't even bothered to try to study for that exam. Why should she waste her time on that when she should be studying for Transfiguration or Charms?

"Now for your timetable, it's necessary to plan your schedule around a career you are interested in. I know you told me you wished to become a Healer, have you changed your mind?"

"No, Professor."

McGonagall gave a curt nod. "Very well, Miss Hurst," she said, waving her wand across an empty timetable. "These are the subjects you will need if you wish to train as a Healer."

Caitlin took her timetable and quickly compared it to Arianna's and Lily's. She was overjoyed to find that they had all their classes together, except Astronomy, which Caitlin had decided to keep, just for the sake of it.

"We have all our classes together!" Lily exclaimed.

"That's brilliant," Caitlin added.

Arianna shook her head. "Not so brilliant. Our first class for Arithmancy is in ten minutes. We better hurry or else we'll be late." Arianna and Lily looked at Caitlin, who watched them innocently.

"What?" she asked, but she knew that if they were late, _technically_ it would be her fault.

They ate quickly, and because the boys had a free period first, they watched amusedly as the girls rushed. When they were finished, they stood up and prepared to leave for class. They now only had six minutes to get to their class on the third floor, before being late. And being late was the last thing Caitlin wanted to do for her first class of the year.

They were just about to leave, when James walked over to Lily and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Arianna and Caitlin watched in terrified shock as he bent down and nibbled on her ear. Lily turned beat red, but came to her senses and tried to push him away.

"Get off me, Potter," she managed to stutter out.

"Now, Evans, you're gonna have to say that nicely," James muttered in her hear with a big smile on his face. It was apparent that he was enjoying himself.

Caitlin impatiently wondered how long this was going to take because if James kept it up, they would be late for their class. By then the other boys had stood also, Sirius looking amused, Peter appeared confused, and Remus, like herself, looked annoyed.

"And how exactly would you define 'nicely', Potter?" Lily asked.

"How about a quick kiss then?"

Lily turned on him; a sickly sweet smile appeared on her face. "So, that's the only thing that would get you to let go of me?" she asked.

"The only thing."

"Alright then. Close your eyes."

Caitlin sighed and rolled her eyes. She was so ready to turn and leave, without waiting for the slap that was about to come, but she stayed put. How many times could James get rejected by Lily before he took the hint and moved on? She realized there was no such number.

However, it seemed as if James' greatest dream was unravelling before her as Lily leaned in close to him, her lips nearly touching his. Caitlin held her breath, waiting for the punch line that was coming, but it never did. Everyone who was within sight earned a look of astonishment as Lily placed her lips on James'.

That short kiss was euphoria for James and when Lily pulled away, he tried to pull her back. She broke free of his grasp and said, "You said a quick kiss, Potter. Not two quick kisses and certainly no snog session. Now, if you don't mind, I have Arithmancy with the girls, thank you."

Caitlin didn't think she would have been able to move, or would have even thought to move, if Lily hadn't grabbed her arm and dragged her from the Hall after her. Caitlin stumbled along, Arianna following in the same stunned silence as they made their way to the staircase.

Finally, Caitlin regained some sense and asked, "What was _that_, Lily?"

"Yeah, Lily, I never thought you of all people would cave to James' antics just like that. And may I be so bold to say that you seemed to have actually_ liked_ it!" Arianna added.

Lily snorted and brushed off their comments, though she was still a bit red in the face. "That was nothing. I just really wanted him to leave me alone. I'm not in any mood to argue with him anymore this morning. One argument per breakfast is enough," she said airily.

Caitlin looked over at Arianna and they shared an unbelieving glance. There was no way that Lily Evans kissing James Potter in the middle of the Great Hall was 'nothing'. If that was 'nothing', then she was going to colour her hair pink.

It was after lunch when the girls and the Marauders (minus one James Potter) returned to the Common Room. After two long classes, they had a free period before they had to go to double Potions. Caitlin groaned as she sat down on the couch beside Remus and pulled her Charms work out.

"God, two classes in and we already have to do two essays, plus practice two new charms!" she complained.

"Well, we wouldn't have to practice if _someone_ here didn't set Flitwick's hair on fire!" Arianna said giving a sideways glance at Sirius.

He gave them all an apologetic smile. "Flick then jab, not jab then flick. You'd think it would be easy to remember," he said, shaking his head as he did so.

"It is easy to remember, Sirius. Your brain is just too small to keep all that information stored," Arianna replied, starting to scrawl the title of her essay.

"Oh, clever aren't we?"

"I'm simply just amazing with my witty remarks," Arianna answered.

Caitlin looked back down at her blank parchment and muttered, "I do not want to listen this right now."

Remus chuckled. "You have to admit they're not as bad as James and Lily," he said in a hushed voice.

"Okay, but I still don't want them to start bickering over who takes better care of their hair or something ridiculous," Caitlin said.

"We already know Sirius would win."

Caitlin laughed quietly as she scratched a title on her page.

_**The Legimatus Charm and Twenty Ways to Misuse It.**_

"What _are_ the twenty ways to misuse the legimatus charm? Did Flitwick even say?" Caitlin asked aloud.

"He pretty much said three ways to use them. The rest is in the textbook somewhere," Lily said as she gazed dreamily out the window, no doubt thinking about James.

"Still thinking about Prongs, I see," Remus teased when he saw the look in her eyes.

"Am not!" Lily defended her eyes wide with shock.

Caitlin grinned. "You know I read somewhere that if you're being defensive about liking someone then you really do truly like them," she said, at the same time skimming through her charms textbook.

"I'm not being defensive," Lily said, to which everyone snorted.

"Oh, honey, you've been defensive since the very first day you met James," Arianna said.

"Speaking of 'ol Prongsie, where's he been? He'd have loved to hear this conversation," Sirius said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Oh yes, because this is such a wonderful chat!" Lily grumbled sarcastically.

"For us it is," Peter said as he scratched his head while thinking of a way to start his essay.

"I think he mentioned something about going down to the kitchens," Remus said.

"Didn't we just have lunch?" Arianna questioned.

"Yeah, well he's such a pig that he probably couldn't wait to get his hands on more food," Lily remarked quietly, but everyone heard it.

Caitlin threw her quill down in exasperation. "See, this is exactly what we mean about being defensive. You know, you're just like him. He's being persistent about trying to get you to finally be with him and you're being persistent about being a stuck up prat and ignoring every sweet thing he does for you," she snapped.

Remus stopped what he was doing and put a hand on her arm, as if to restrain her.

"What has he ever done that was sweet?" Lily scoffed.

"There was the time he took you for a picnic out by the lake on your birthday. Or that time he brought you all those Honeydukes sweets when you couldn't go to Hogsmeade because you were sick. And that one night when he dueled Regulus because he had called you a Mudblood?"

Lily went silent after Caitlin's outburst and lowered her head. Still aggravated, Caitlin returned to her work, while Remus watched her carefully. She hadn't meant to be so malicious, but she was tired of Lily acting like James was being a stupid prat. She wanted Lily to realize that James was actually a sweet guy, once you got past the cocky attitude.

She settled in for the uncomfortable silence that followed and found that she couldn't wait for double Potions.

The entire group walked together to their class talking and laughing, having gotten past the weird silence in the Common Room. Caitlin, however, had still not spoke to Lily and she felt terrible for yelling at her friend. That's why when she found the opportunity, she pulled Lily away from the group.

"Lily I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. It was wrong…I shouldn't have even opened my mouth," Caitlin apologized.

Lily shook her head. "No, you were right. James has done a lot of nice things and I've just been too much of a prat to realize. Maybe…maybe he's not so bad," she said.

Caitlin smiled. "Not so bad, eh? Does that mean…?"

"It doesn't mean anything, Caitie," Lily laughed. "Just that maybe I've been too harsh on him."

"So you'll be nice?"

Lily laughed. "I'll try. No promises though!"

Caitlin laughed too and they ran to catch up to the rest of the group, who were waiting for them outside the classroom door.

When they entered, Caitlin and Lily found a table and Arianna and another girl in their House, Sam, joined them. Remus and Peter, and James and Sirius took the one ahead of them.

Professor Slughorn, a short, plump, balding man, told them that they would be brewing the Drought of Melancholy, possibly the most complicated potion any of them had ever made. Lily and Caitlin got to work right away, and even though they were the best students in the class, they found it difficult too.

About an hour in, Caitlin and Lily's potion was the correct shade of blue their potions book described, but neither of them could come up with an answer as to how they had got it that way.

"How did you do that?" Sam asked.

Caitlin looked over to Arianna and Sam's potion, which was a startlingly bright shade of pink.

"Honestly? We have no idea," Lily muttered.

Arianna gasped. "You, Lily Evans, Professor Slughorn's prized student, have no idea how you got your potion to turn out the way it did?" she asked in mock shock.

"Well, I can't master every potion there is, can I?" Lily replied.

"Besides, at least ours is somewhat the right colour. How in the bloody hell did you manage to turn yours pink?" Caitlin asked.

"Honestly? We have no idea," Sam said, copying the words that Lily just said.

"Well, at least ours isn't as bad as theirs," Arianna snickered, gesturing to James and Sirius' potion. Caitlin peered over their shoulders and her eyebrows rose in shocked surprise. Their potion was lime green in colour and was gurgling and spitting every few seconds. Remus and Peter had been asked to move tables, in fear that the rogue potion would cause them bodily harm.

"We heard that!" James said without turning his head. Caitlin noticed that his eyes deliberately avoided Lily as he spoke, and a slight pink flush rose in his cheeks. Was it possible that James Potter was... embarrassed? Could it be that even his over-inflated ego couldn't protect him from Lily's unpredictable actions?

"And what's more, we resent it!" Sirius added.

Caitlin looked at them incredulously. "How did you two ever get into this NEWT class anyways?" she asked.

"With our charm and good looks," Sirius replied while grinning devilishly.

"Because that can seriously help you with making a potion so complex such as, oh, I don't know, the Polyjuice Potion?" Lily muttered.

Sirius looked at her as if her words had hurt him. "Well of course it can, my dear sweet Lily," he defended. "You see, to make the Polyjuice Potion successfully, you need a strand of hair from the person that you want to turn into. Now with mine and James' good looks and charming ways, we can make anyone comfortable enough to let us take a piece of their hair without suspecting anything," Sirius said.

The girls broke into peals of laughter, no longer caring if they disturbed the class. Caitlin clutched her sides as she doubled over in laughter. She wasn't even sure what was so funny, part of what he said was true, but she still began to tear up.

"There's, uh, something wrong there," Sam said in between gasps for air.

"What? With the potion? Yeah I know, thanks," Sirius said.

"No, with your brain," Sam retorted, beginning a fresh round of giggles.

Sirius glared indignantly at her, but before he could retort Professor Slughorn walked over to their tables. He glanced expectantly into Caitlin and Lily's potion and a smile formed on his face.

"Once again girls, excellent work! Brilliant!" he gushed. Caitlin and Lily muttered a quiet 'thank you' and he moved onto Arianna and Sam's cauldron.

"I hate it when he does that," Lily told her as they got back to work on their potion.

"Does what?" Caitlin asked.

"Special treatment. Just because we pay attention doesn't mean he should favour us," Lily said.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest Lily. In case you hadn't noticed, maybe we deserve to be praised a little bit."

Lily shrugged as she stirred the potion clockwise once. Caitlin looked at her questioningly, wondering why Lily was in such a caring mood all of a sudden. Wasn't this the girl you had gotten upset in fourth year when Professor Flitwick had skipped her once doing his rounds?

Caitlin shook her head and returned to her work, speculating what other strange things could happen that day.

By the end of their first day back, the sixth years were not only exhausted, but they had a massive pile of homework. Even with that lingering thought, the group of friends tried to forget it over dinner. In the Great Hall they talked amiably, eating and laughing as they enjoyed what would be their last free-time of the night. Caitlin found herself squeezed in between Remus and Arianna, with Lily on Arianna's other side. James, Sirius, and Peter sat across from them, stuffing their faces with as much food as they could.

"Hey Caitie, remember Quidditch practice is Friday," James reminded her.

"I'll be there! If you'll take me back that is," she said grinning.

James laughed. "Oh, you're right! You're a danger to the rest of us, so sorry!"

"Yeah, James can't afford to lose me, Caitie. I'm too important," Sirius added.

Caitlin laughed at them both, shaking her head. "I don't think so, Sirius. I'm definitely the star player!"

"You're both wrong!" James interrupted, making them both go silent. "_I'm_ the star player. Hence why I wear the Captain's badge…"

"Stop being ridiculous!" Arianna said. "Caitie is so the best Quidditch player at this table!"

"Let's vote!" Caitlin cried.

"All in favour of James being Gryffindor's star player?" Lily prompted.

James and Peter raised their hands.

"All in favour of Sirius?"

Only Sirius raised his hand.

"And Caitie?"

Caitlin, Arianna, Lily, and Remus raised their hands.

James looked at them incredulously. "That's not fair! Remus only voted for Caitie because he likes her!"

For some unknown reason, Caitlin blushed and looked at her plate. When she realized what she had done, her head snapped back up, but her face was red with embarrassment of being embarrassed. Thankfully no one had noticed.

"That's ridiculous!" Arianna said.

"It's true though," Sirius said a mischievous smile on his face. "Ain't that right, Remus?"

"Cut it out, Padfoot," Remus warned, his eyes serious.

"What? Only words of true come from my mouth."

"Words of truth?" Arianna said. "What about…"

"Don't listen to her. She doesn't know what she's talking about," Sirius interrupted, reaching across the table to put a hand over Arianna's mouth.

Arianna ripped his hand away from her face, glaring at him. "I do too know what I'm talking about!"

Sirius sighed. "Obviously…you don't."

Caitlin turned away from their spat, somewhat grateful that her friends were obnoxious to each other. Sirius and Arianna had just saved her from a hell of a lot of awkward questions. That's when she thought about why this bugged her so much. If they had had the same conversation about her and…say James, she could have laughed it off. She would not have blushed and fidgeted uncomfortably. So why…?

Remus must have noticed her silence because he put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about that. Sirius was just being a prat," he said.

Caitlin looked him in the eyes, those deep, chocolate brown eyes. All her embarrassment and anxiousness washed away to be replaced by warmth and comfort. She could see herself reflected in his dark orbs and saw herself smiling. Quickly, she wiped the stupid grin from her face and cleared her throat.

"It doesn't matter. It's not like its true or anything, right?"

Remus pulled back from her and tore his gaze away from her eyes. Looking at his hands his said, "Right, of course not. We're just friends."

'_Yeah…just friends.'_

XXX

"Some day," Caitlin said as the girls entered their dorm room and began to change for bed.

"Sure was," Arianna answered, "Especially that kiss, eh Lily?"

Lily huffed. "Oh, will you two shut up about that? It was nothing," she said, crawling under the covers of her bed.

"So we're calling love 'nothing' now?" Caitlin laughed climbing into her bed.

"Love? This is far from 'love' Caitie," Lily said indignantly.

"Lily, from all the years you've known me, you know that I'm a realist right?" Arianna asked.

Caitlin pulled the covers over her as Arianna continued, "Well, here's the reality of your little situation. You two are absolutely perfect for each other. James had probably fallen head over heels in love with you during our first year. Now, I don't know when you started to feel the same way, but we all know that you do. You just have a different way of showing it. So, I suggest that you suck it up and just go out with him already or else!"

Caitlin looked over at Lily whose eyes were narrowed and her hands on her hips. "Or else what?"

Arianna opened and closed her mouth a few times. "Or else… we'll be… very, very mad at you!" she finally muttered lamely. "Now end of discussion. Good night!"

Caitlin smiled and pulled the scarlet hangings around her bed and they were engulfed in silence.

Then the silence was broken. "Yes, well James is still an arrogant little prick most of the time, isn't he?"

Caitlin decided not to answer. Lily, though she was being civilized towards James, was still adamant about him being ridiculously annoying. Caitie wished that they would get together soon, not only for their sake, but for the sanity of the rest of them.


	4. SugarCoated Surprises

**AN: **Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter as much as I did! And thanks to all those wonderful reviewers of mine! Now, the original chapter 4 revolves around mostly Lily and James, but this one will be more Caitlin and Remus.

**Remember to Read&Review!**

**Disclaimer:** I am fighting a losing battle for the right of all Harry Potter oriented things. As for the time being, it belongs to J. K. Rowling. And all unfamiliar characters belong to my friend, Stephanie. But I'm working on it!

**Ruby Moon**

**Sugar-Coated Surprises**

As the sun set, it cast brilliant shades of orange, blue, and pink across the sky. The beautiful colours gleamed across the surface of the still lake, making it seem like a stained glass window. The wispy, white clouds crossed the sky slowly and the sun could no longer be seen behind the tips of the trees lining the Forbidden Forest. The crisp fall breeze blew her hair around her face and sent shivers down her arms, but she did not move. She couldn't explain what it was about the scene before her, but whatever it was it made her feel completely at peace.

Well, almost.

Caitlin sat huddled in the grass, her friends all around her as they enjoyed the last warmth before winter hit. James and Lily were there, though they did not speak to each other or even make eye contact. Four days had passed since the kiss between them, but instead of taking everyone's advice and giving James a chance, Lily pushed him away. It was impossible to persuade her otherwise, and though he pretended not to be, James was crushed.

Sirius was enthusiastically snogging a fifth year Hufflepuff girl named Karen Dawson, and seemed to be completely unaware that they were in public. Caitlin figured that he didn't care, but it was making her uncomfortable.

Arianna was staring off into space, thinking about Merlin knows what. She seemed to have no problem with Sirius and his partner, and Caitlin wondered how she did it.

Peter was nowhere to be found, which left Remus. He was leaning against the trunk of the tree, a book in his lap, paying no attention to anyone else. The breeze lightly tossed his hair into his eyes and he would shake it away, once again revealing his brown eyes. Caitlin watched from the corner of her eye as he stretched his legs out in front of him, looking up from his book for only a second. She looked away quickly, suddenly becoming amazed with a blade of grass at her hand. When she was sure he had gone back to his book, she looked up again, but stared out over the lake instead.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. Ever since they arrived back at school, her mind seemed to drift easily and it always drifted to the same thing. When she woke up in the morning, her first thought was if he was already up. At breakfast, she wondered if he would sit down beside her. During class, she wondered if his thoughts ever drifted to the seat behind him, where she was sitting. And at night before bed, the last smile of her day was for him.

But it was so _wrong_! You weren't supposed to have a crush on your best friend. James and Lily were different; James had developed the crush pre-friendship. She and Remus had been friends since their first train ride, why was she just feeling this now?

What was worse, she didn't know how he felt. What if he didn't like her the same way, could she go back to being just friends? Or would it ruin the relationship they already had? And if he did feel the same, could it work out? So many unanswered questions flittered through her head and each one brought a new worry with it.

'_What am I supposed to do?'_

"It's almost time for supper," Remus said, interrupting her thoughts. Everyone came out of their reverie, looking around to see that it was in fact nearly time for the evening meal. Reluctantly, the group stood and made their way back to the castle, not one breaking the silence that still surrounded them.

They reached the Great Hall (Sirius said 'good-bye' to his 'girlfriend') and made their way over to the Gryffindor table. Caitlin made to sit beside Arianna, but found that Lily and Sirius were already on either side of her. So, she sat down on Sirius' other side and began to fill her plate with food. Unfortunately for her and her already confused mind, Remus came last and chose the seat beside her.

Caitlin tried to stop herself from over-reacting and found it extremely challenging. Her entire body tensed and she found herself playing with the hem of her sweater, in an attempt to keep her mind occupied.

"Amazing girl, she is," Sirius said, piling his plate with a mountain of food.

Finding the opportunity to distract herself, Caitlin asked, "And what was her name again?"

A blank looked crossed over Sirius' face. "Well, I can't really seem to remember. It's either Kayla or Kaycee…," he trailed off.

"As per usual," Arianna said, rolling her eyes.

"These are really good potatoes, no?" Sirius said, stuffing his face with food. Caitlin grinned a bit. When it came to being subtle, Sirius was the last person you wanted to talk to.

Everyone started their own random conversations and Caitlin strangely felt left out. Since her only two options were to talk to either Sirius or Remus, she ended up being extremely quiet, which definitely wasn't her. Most of the group didn't notice how unusual she was acting, except one.

"So…how are your classes?" Remus asked.

"Good," Caitlin answered shortly. If she remembered correctly, this was the longest conversation they'd had alone in a week.

"Great!" he said, looking away uncomfortably. Silence ensued and Caitlin began to wish that she could just vanish on the spot.

"And your parents, how are they?" he continued.

Still looking down at her plate, she answered, "Fine."

'_Wonderful! Two words! This is a fabulous conversation Caitlin!'_

"That's umm…that's good."

Again silence engulfed them and Caitlin was beginning to feel as if he was just as tense as she was. This wasn't good. He was one of her best friends and the best answers she could come up with were 'Good' and 'Fine'.

'_Say something! Anything!'_

"How's your…"

Remus looked at her, waiting for her to finish, but Caitlin drew a blank. Embarrassed, she looked away.

'_That was great! Now he thinks I'm an idiot!' _

Just as she was thinking of what she could possibly say to him, he spoke up. "Caitlin, is something wrong?"

She looked back at him. "No, everything's fine," she said, shaking her head. "Why?"

"Well, it's just… it's like you've been trying to avoid me lately. I just don't understand why."

"Oh… well, I'm not really. I guess it's just that…"

"Hey Moony! You think I could beat James in a fist fight, right?" Sirius shouted down the table. Caitlin looked away from Remus, slightly thankful for the interruption.

Annoyance laced his tone as Remus said, "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"No, seriously! Do you think I could?"

"Padfoot, I don't really care whether…"

Arianna suddenly cut in, as if to save the conversation from turning into an argument. "Look, I'm sure Sirius could beat him in Quidditch and everything…" she said.

"How are you so sure of that?" James interjected.

"Oh, that's cause I'm just amazing," Sirius grinned.

Arianna sighed annoyed. "Would you let me finish? Anyways, yeah, he could beat him at Quidditch, but an actual fistfight? Don't think so."

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Sirius asked, sounding offended.

"You _are_ weak," James said.

"No I'm saying he's stronger," Arianna replied.

"Would you care to prove that?" Sirius said.

"You really want to fight him?"

"Sure, if you wanna lose a tooth or two."

"I'd beat him like that," Sirius said while snapping his fingers.

Everyone gave him disbelieving looks and a few grinned, minus the still uncomfortable pair near the end.

"Okay, then. Why don't we all just gang up on Sirius?" Sirius said exasperatedly as he took in the looks that he was being given.

"Don't worry, we plan to," Caitlin said.

As soon as dinner finished, Caitlin rushed away to the Common Room, to avoid any questions that still might have come from Remus. It's not that she _was_ trying to avoid him; it was that she didn't want him to know how deeply she did care for him. She had decided sometime during dinner that he couldn't know; if she told him, it would ruin their relationship.

She reached the Common Room and Caitlin went straight to her neglected homework. Maybe if she looked busy, he would leave her alone for a bit. She pulled out her potions essay and set to work.

Soon after, the others arrived, but Caitlin pretended to be too busy to notice. From the corner of her eye, Caitlin noticed Arianna talking to Audrey, President of the S.B.F.C.C.O.G. (Sirius Black Fan Club of Crazily Obsessed Girls), and wondered why. Audrey and the rest of the members never talked to Arianna, Caitlin, or Lily only because they were close to Sirius and were seen as a 'threat'. It was all ridiculous to her, none of them would ever in their right mind date Sirius Black, and they mostly ignored the other girls.

Audrey left, leaving Arianna with a slightly perplexed look, before she headed off to their dorm room.

Lily came over, followed by the others, and sat beside her.

"You left quickly," Lily stated.

Caitlin shrugged. "Just needed to start my work."

Lily nodded in acceptance of her answer and pulled out her own work. Caitlin turned back to her parchment, but felt a pair of eyes on her as she worked. Sneaking a look from beneath her fringe, Caitlin saw Remus seated in the armchair directly across from her, watching her with thoughtful eyes.

'_Why does he have to look so attractive when he does that?'_

Caitlin returned rather reluctantly to her work. In a perfect world, they would let her sit there and stare at him all day. They wouldn't mind if she told him how much she liked him, because it wouldn't make a difference. In a perfect world, he would like her too.

About an hour passed, and Caitlin was beginning to feel the effects of thinking so hard for long periods of time. Her eyes were starting to grow heavy from her weariness and her mind was beginning to drift away from her work. Sirius had left not fifteen minutes after they arrived in the Common Room, no doubt to go meet Karen or some other girl. James and Peter left for the library to go do some research for their essays, and Arianna had yet to return from the dorm room.

Caitlin sighed for the third time in a minute. She could not think of a single reason why you would use a laughter charm. Perhaps she would go look in the library, James and Peter must have found something by now.

Picking up her books she said, "I'm off to the library. I'm going to see if James and Peter have found anything for this Charms essay."

Lily nodded distractedly, not looking up from her homework. Caitlin turned and walked away towards the portrait hole when she heard a shuffle behind her.

"Wait, I'll come with you."

She looked over to Remus to see him hastily gathering his things and shoving them into his bag.

"No really, I'm fine," she said, looking for any excuse not to be left alone with him. She was afraid she might do something stupid.

"It's okay," he said walking over to her. "I need to research some things for my Transfiguration paper."

Caitlin inwardly groaned. Why her?

They left the Common Room (Remus held the door open for her and she mentally kicked herself) and walked down the corridor in the direction of the library. It was silent; no other students passed them on their way. Outside the sun had long since set and the only light was that of the lit torches hanging in their brackets on the wall.

She walked slightly ahead of him, her books clutched to her chest and her lips pursed. They had not spoken since her mumbled 'thank you' leaving the Common Room and she planned on keeping it that way. If she could just make it to the library and to James and Peter, there would be no weirdness.

Unfortunately for her, Remus had other ideas.

"Caitie, wait," he said as he walked to catch up to her. She must have been nearly running, for it took him a few seconds to reach her side. When he did, he stopped and looked at her.

"There's something I need to talk to you about."

'_No, no, no! I wasn't ignoring you! Don't tell me you're mad!'_

"Oh," she muttered. "What did you want to talk about?"

His brown eyes looked into her blue ones with nervousness and excitement.

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you, but I don't know how you'll take it," he said.

'_Please just yell and get it over with!'_

"You're one of my best friends Caitie and I care about you so much."

'_Once you get angry we can make up and put this all behind us, so just do it already.'_

"I mean, you're smart, and funny, and beautiful…"

'_Yelling is really not that difficult…what?'_

"And I've never met anyone like you. You're so special and important to me."

'_Okay, seriously, what?'_

Remus paused and a small smile crept onto his face. "What I'm trying to say is…I like you Caitie. I really, _really_ like you. I was wondering if you'd like to be my girlfriend," he said.

'…'

If there was ever a time for proper, conscious thought, now would have been the time. But Caitlin's luck didn't extend to that and so she stood there, a shocked astounded look on her face and her mind completely blank.

Remus looked at her with concern. "I know this is a lot right now. But I know I would be good for you and…I really don't know what I'm doing," he said, a slight laugh at the end of his sentence.

'_This is actually happening. He actually just asked me to be his girlfriend! Remus Lupin just asked me to be his girlfriend!'_

"Caitie?"

She finally looked at him, a smile growing on her face. "I…"

'_But what about earlier? I swore I wouldn't. This could ruin everything. I couldn't live with myself if I lost him.'_

The smile left her face. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach as she looked away from him down at her feet. She knew she was going to hate herself for this, but it was best.

"I'm sorry Remus. I can't," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He looked at her confusedly. "What do you mean? I thought…"

"Look, you're a great friend Remus," she interrupted. "But I just don't…I don't like you that way."

The words felt like poison in her mouth and her stomach twisted into tight, painful knots. She couldn't bring herself to look at him; she didn't want to see the pain it was causing him to be rejected by not only the girl he liked, but his best friend.

"Well, that's fine," he said finally. Caitlin winced at the pain she heard in his voice. "I'm sorry I…"

"No, I'm sorry. Really this isn't…it was…we can still be friends," Caitlin said.

He nodded. "Yeah, we can still be friends."

There was silence for a while as they stood in the middle of the corridor, not looking at each other. Caitlin couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't make this conversation any worse.

Finally Remus said, "You know, I really don't have to go to the library. I'll see you back in the Common Room."

"Sure, okay."

And with that, Remus turned and left her in the hall, alone, hurt, and in tears.

XXX

The following day was like every autumn Sunday should be: bright, sunny, but not at all hot. However, the gang was stuck inside catching up on their homework that had been disrupted by certain frustrating events.

Caitlin had not said much to Remus after the night before, and he seemed just as unwilling to try to make conversation. This was exactly what she feared. That all this confusion would screw up their friendship. He must hate her! She was so insensitive the night before… he must think that she was purposely trying to be cruel.

'_I ruined everything.'_

"Hey Caitie, is everything okay?"

Caitlin looked up from her page to see Arianna and Lily looking at her with concerned expressions. The girls had retreated to their dorm to do their work because Sirius was being too distracting for them to concentrate. She figured it would be okay to tell them up there, but she was still nervous.

"No. See, there's this guy…"

"Caitie has a boyfriend!" Arianna squealed.

"No, that's the problem."

Lily and Arianna looked at her confused.

"This guy…he's so brilliant and handsome and charming…and a good friend. I didn't want to risk anything even though I really, really do like him."

"Did you think that maybe it would be worth the risk?" Lily asked.

Caitlin shook her head. "I couldn't bear it if I lost him as a friend. But I think I already have."

"Maybe we could talk to him, explain things," Arianna suggested.

"No, I don't want anyone else involved. This is my problem."

"Caitie, you have to talk to him," Lily said. "If he's a close friend, then I'm sure he'll understand."

Caitlin looked at her friends, suddenly grateful for their presence. They were right, Remus would understand…but she wouldn't tell him. She pulled a smile and said, "Thanks. Now let's go to the Great Hall. Dinner should be ready now and I'm starving!"

Lily and Arianna laughed and the girls left their dorm behind. They walked together, chatting idly, and when they reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall they realized that the four boys were missing. Caitlin silently thanked God, because their absence meant the absence of her sitting uncomfortably through supper.

Dinner was quiet without Sirius and James there to keep them entertained, and so the girls thought about what they could be doing. It was obvious that they were planning a prank (that's the only reason they would have missed supper) and obvious that it would be on a Slytherin, but what they would come up with was a complete mystery.

After dinner, the girls returned to the Common Room. Caitlin still had to finish a Transfiguration paper due for the next day and decided she would go to bed right after. They did not meet the boys along the way, or anyone who looked as if they had just been pranked, so they assumed the boys were still planning. Whatever they were thinking up, it must have been big.

They entered the Common Room and headed up the spiralling staircase towards the dorm. Lily was a head of them as Caitlin and Arianna made jokes. They were completely unprepared for it when Lily stopped dead in her tracks with the door open. Both Caitlin and Arianna crashed into her back, letting out an 'Ow!' each, before peering over Lily's shoulder to see what was going on.

The ceiling of their dorm room was raining white lilies, which drifted down and softly touched the floor where they would then vanish. They were endless, and real, the girls realized as they slowly entered the room.

Caitlin looked up at the enchanted ceiling and heard Arianna gasp. She looked down to see her point at something on Lily's bed. Moving closer, Caitlin realized that it was a white packaged tied off with red ribbon. Lily too moved closer, her eyes never moving from the box.

Caitlin watched as Lily picked up the box and tugged lightly at the ribbon, causing the paper to unravel and fall away from the gift. The box was simply white, and Lily lifted the lid, letting it fall to the floor beside the wrapping paper. Caitlin and Arianna inched closer trying to see what was in the box. Lily lifted a note from the top, revealing an assortment of chocolates…all of Lily's favourites.

Tears came to Lily's eyes as she put the note down and looked at the box. Caitlin slowly picked up the letter and read it.

_Dearest Lily,_

_I've been trying to get you to listen to what I have to say about us for ages now, but you seem to always push me away. I have no clue as to why you're doing this, and I hope that one of these days (hopefully sooner rather than later) you will take the time to explain. But you have got to know this now. I love you, Lily. I think I've loved you ever since that first train ride that we had to Hogwarts. I know, it seems impossible, but who's to say that this, that we, couldn't work out in the end? We could never say for sure if we've never given us a try. So please, I'm begging you, Lily. I know we have a lot of arguments, but what relationship doesn't have that? Give me the chance to show you that I've grown up and I've matured from that boy that would always hit on you to someone who truly, deeply cares about your feelings. I will never give up on you. Even if it takes a hundred thousand more gifts and surprises to get you to give us a chance. That's all I'm asking for, Lily. Then I'll let you choose freely if you still feel that me and you shouldn't be together. I'll let you go, even if it will hurt me. And those are my chocolate covered promises to you._

_Love Always,  
James._

Caitlin looked over at Arianna, who smiled and motioned to the door. Understanding, Caitlin left the letter and followed Arianna from the room, leaving Lily alone.

They walked down the stairs and into the Common Room to see the Marauders waiting. James stood up straight when he heard the footsteps, but relaxed slightly when he saw it was only Caitlin and Arianna.

"How is she? Is she…?"

Caitlin laughed and walked forward to give James a hug. "That was the sweetest, most charming thing I have ever seen James Potter. I think she loved it," she said.

James' face lit up. "Really? I wasn't sure if…"

"Relax, you dork," Arianna said. "She'll probably be down soon."

"You heard the woman, mate," Sirius said, walking over and putting a hand on James' shoulder. "Do or die."

"Sirius!" Caitlin chastised.

"What?"

"James loves Lily and as long as he does there's nothing for him to worry about," she said. It dawned on her that her words were not only spoken for James, but for herself as well. Arianna began to talk to James and Caitlin stepped back. Looking at all that James had gone through just to get Lily's attention, it was overwhelming. Perhaps not all was lost between her and Remus.

Everyone suddenly turned as they heard footsteps descending the stairs. Lily reached the bottom of the stairs, her face tear-stained and anxious. Again, James straightened up and a smile adorned his face.

Lily beckoned him over and James went over to her, where they began their conversation in private. The others went to the fireplace to give them privacy, but kept a close eye just in case things went south.

Caitlin dropped down onto the couch and stared blankly into the fire.

"That was nice, what you did for James."

Caitlin looked up and saw Remus standing beside her, watching with hesitation.

Caitlin shifted over and patted the seat beside her. Remus looked surprised for a moment, but then sat down beside her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"After Sirius' comment. I think that really helped him," Remus answered.

Caitlin nodded. "He needed it. If he does really love Lily, then eventually she'll see it."

"And if she doesn't?"

Caitlin looked at him. The same hurt that she had seen just the night before crossed his face, before it was covered up by a look of questioning.

"Then maybe she already has."

'_Do it! Just tell him!' _

"Caitie…"

"I'M NOT SNAPE, LILY!" James yelled. Caitlin looked over her shoulder at James and Lily, who were still deep in conversation. She may not have known what they were saying, but by the look on Lily's face she knew that realization was dawning on her.

And she was right; Lily suddenly enveloped James in a soft, sweet kiss. She did not object when James pulled her closer and when they finally separated, Lily had a beautiful smile on her face.

"Finally," Caitlin muttered, causing both she and Remus to smile.


	5. Broken

**AN: **Hooray! Chapter 5!

**READ AND REVIEW PEOPLE! Thanks:)**

**Disclaimer: **Turns out, I can't fight J. K. Rowling for the rights of Harry Potter. Something about it being 'her creation and hers alone'…But, I'm not giving up hope! However, my lawyer says I have to tell everyone that the ideas for this story do belong to her; otherwise they are the property of Stephanie Sulit, my friend.

**Ruby Moon**

**Broken**

Whoever said that life was hard, wasn't telling the whole truth. Life was not only hard, but it was frustrating, challenging, and most of all confusing. And that was putting it lightly.

A month since the unity of James and Lily, and Caitlin was still just as confused about Remus as she had been before the whole drama. Sure, they were on talking terms again, but she still hadn't told him how she felt about him. How much it pained her to think that he wasn't _hers_. But it had been a month… and Remus hadn't said anything else on the matter. Maybe he was over her?

Since she couldn't figure out her own relationship, Caitlin focused on celebrating Lily and James'. It amazed her how two people could be so utterly perfect for each other, and yet still manage to shout and bicker at each other. Because that's the way it was with Hogwarts' most loved and hated couple. They were still Lily and James after all, how could they not butt heads?

Either way, Caitlin was exuberant about the couple. They really were in love, that much was certain, and she couldn't be more thrilled for them.

Along with this exciting development, Gryffindor had their first Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. They won of course, Caitlin herself scored three of the seven goals along with Daniella Brown, the new Chaser that James had found for the team. And through all that, Caitlin managed to remain mostly uninjured, leaving the field with nothing but a scratch on her cheek and a few bruises. In other words, she whined and complained for the next couple of days.

It was about the end of November and the group found themselves outside in the grounds, all scattered around as they listened to the Care of Magical Creatures lesson being taught. Their usual teacher, Professor Jenkins, whom they liked very much, had left for Paris with a young handsome wizard. Her replacement, Professor Armeda, was to say the least, dull. Not in a slow, monotonous way, but the way she acted like it was the most exciting subject on the planet made them all wish they had left it out of their schedules.

Caitlin found herself sitting beside Remus and Sirius, shivering and shaking from being so cold. She had packed on the outerwear that day and though Sirius had made fun of her hat and mitts the entire way down, she was grateful she had. It was absolutely freezing!

She focused her attention away from the numbness in her hands and listened to Professor Armeda again. "And wouldn't it be just good fun on a Friday night to get a bowl of popcorn and…"

"Read your 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' textbook," Sirius muttered, the sarcasm in his voice unmistakable.

Every student in their near vicinity began to giggle quietly, muffling their laughter in their sleeves. Caitlin put her gloved hands over her mouth to stop her snickers from escaping as she shared an amused look with Remus. On her other side, Sirius looked quite pleased with himself, proud of the fact that he had broken the tiresome class.

However, Professor Armeda had overheard and turned to look at him. Caitlin turned away as she prepared for the grilling that Sirius was about to get. But what happened next not only shocked her, but the rest of the class as well.

"Exactly! Wouldn't that be great tremendous fun? An evening well spent!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, clapping her hands together excitedly.

Silence engulfed the class as the students stared at her in disbelief. Caitlin tried to contain her laughter, but it was hopeless, so a laugh escaped her which sent the class into an uproar. Everyone was bent double in laughter while Professor Armeda looked on, confusion written all over her face. The laughter continued for the next minute or so, and luckily class was over so they escaped before it could start again.

Caitlin followed Remus and Sirius over to the rest of the group, who all had tears in their eyes and were trying to catch their breath from laughing so hard. James especially, he was red in the face and was actually wiping the tears from his face.

"Nice one mate!" he said giving Sirius a pat on the back. "Brilliant!"

They continued talking and laughing as they made their way up to the castle, where they entered the warm hall as students pushed their way through to their next class. Caitlin however still felt cold, even though everyone else seemed to be fine.

"Oh, hold on!" Lily exclaimed, digging through her bag as she searched for something. "I have to give this to Professor Flitwick. Wait here."

She ran off in the opposite direction as the rest of them waited off to the side of the hall. Caitlin was furiously rubbing her hands together, having long forgotten the gloves, trying to regain some feeling in them.

"It's so cold!" she exclaimed quietly, not really intending anyone to hear her.

Remus however, turned to her holding out his hands. "Here," he said. "Let me see."

Caitlin looked up at him before hesitantly placing her small hands in his large ones. As soon as their fingers touched she felt warmth come back to her, except it wasn't in her hands. It was in her cheeks. As she blushed, he drew circles on the top of her hands, trying to create some friction. Caitlin noticed how rough his hands were, but she didn't find them uncomfortable at all, instead she found his touch soothing. She also noticed how hot his hands were, unusually so after just being outside.

"Your hands are so warm," she said. She happened to notice that they were now standing alone; the rest of the group had disappeared. Somewhere in the back of her head she was panicking, but her primary thought was only thinking about how wonderful she was feeling at that moment.

Remus chuckled. "They're always warm. They've been like this since…well, since the problem started," he told her.

"So, you're never cold?"

"No, I get cold, just not as easily as you would. Well…" he laughed, "not as easily as a _normal_ person."

"Hey, I'm normal! Just because I get colder faster than anyone else doesn't make me weird!" Caitlin defended.

Remus nodded his head in agreement. "You're right. Just because you get cold quicker doesn't make you weird. You do that on your own."

Caitlin began to laugh and Remus joined her, but they were soon interrupted by a loud shout that carried across the hall.

"Oi! Love birds! Stop holding hands and get a move on!"

Caitlin looked to where the yell had come from and found Sirius looking at them, as well as the rest of her friends, grins on all of their faces. She quickly ripped her hands out of Remus' and shoved them into her pockets, before two walked over to the group waiting for them.

An hour later Caitlin was sitting in the library with Arianna and Remus, working on yet another two foot long essay. James and Lily had gone to study alone and Sirius was off with another girl. She honestly had no idea where Peter was, she had not seen him since the Care of Magical Creatures class.

"Where's Peter run off to?" she asked.

Arianna looked up from her book and looked around, as if expecting to find him sitting at their table. When she didn't see him, she said, "We're not seeing much of him lately, huh?"

"He's been acting tremendously nervous and quiet," Remus agreed. "But then again, it's Peter. He's been known to act like that a lot."

Caitlin had to agree with him on that, but from the look on Arianna's face she knew she wasn't the only one wondering where their friend had been disappearing to the past month.

She glanced at Remus and couldn't help but notice (for about the millionth time that day) that he was looking extremely sick. She knew what was coming up for him and that scared her more than anything. She didn't know what she would do with herself if he got hurt one of these times.

"You've been pretty quiet yourself lately," Caitlin told him.

"Is it _your_ time of month, _Moony_?" Arianna questioned, knowing exactly what Caitlin was getting at.

He nodded dismally. Remus looked at Caitlin and she found her eyes locked with his. Even though the rest of him appeared drained and sickly, his eyes were the only thing that told her he was actually '_okay_'. She wished more than anything that she could find some way to help him through this, without going to the extent that the boys had. Just like she knew that Remus was a werewolf, Caitlin knew that Sirius, James, and Peter had become illegal Animagi to help him. If she had the chance again, she might consider it, but by the time she managed to transform, they would be out of school. She just wished she could help him!

Remus finally broke the gaze and looked down. "Tonight's a full moon," he said. A sad look passed over his face and Caitlin felt a twinge of pain shoot through her heart. It killed her to see him like this.

"Don't look so down," she said in an attempt to cheer him up. "Just think, another night full of adventures with the other Marauders!"

"Yeah, just don't get too grouchy, though. I know when us girls are on our time of month we're very hazardous but when you're on yours, you're just a tad bit more dangerous," Arianna added jokingly as she tried to help lighten the mood.

Remus smiled appreciatively, the shine returning to his eyes. "Thank you. Really, I have no idea what I would do without you two," he said.

"Crash and burn," Arianna replied smiling.

Caitlin let out a laugh. "More like howl and attack."

Arianna gasped teasingly. "He would never dream of doing that with us around! He knows that if he does he'll have to face a serious talking to. Oh - and some pixies," she smirked.

Caitlin snorted. She knew that Remus had a secret fear of pixies and though they didn't bring it up often, when they did they always used it to take the mik out of him.

"You wouldn't dare," Remus said, his eyes wide as he pretended to look at them in horror.

"Course we would," Caitlin replied grinning. She hurriedly scribbled down the last sentence of her essay before throwing her quill down and jumping up out of her chair, her face jubilant. "Done!" she cried happily.

Arianna looked up at her unbelievingly and groaned. "I'm not even close. D'you mind letting me copy the ending of yours?"

Caitlin nodded and threw her essay at her. "Not word for word though," she instructed. "Slughorn may be ignorant, but he's not stupid."

She saw Remus shake his head disapprovingly, but that only made her grin grow wider. She stuffed her books into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Well, I'm off," she said. "Do have some fun without me, you two."

Caitlin waved to Arianna and was about to do the same for Remus, but found herself incapable of doing so. His eyes were watching her and she began to feel herself lose control of her thoughts. Before she let herself go completely she mumbled, "Good luck tonight," and turned away before she could do something she might regret.

She left the library and headed down the hall, making her way back to the Common Room. Along the way she finally drifted off into her thoughts, no longer realizing where she was going.

'_Why does this have to be so hard? Why can't I just tell him?'_

She knew the reason. It would ruin everything. No matter how much she wanted him, she couldn't let herself take him.

'_I still wish I could tell him. Just tell him without any consequences. I wish I could hold his hand without someone making a joke. I wish I could kiss him…'_

Caitlin was shocked by that bold thought. She hadn't _really_ kissed a boy before. Sure, she had kissed them on the cheek or whatever, but actually kissing someone… actually kissing Remus…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she crashed into someone, falling hard to the floor. Looking up she saw Sirius grinning down at her, making no move to help her back up.

"And where were you going in such a hurry?" he asked.

Caitlin glared at him. "To the Common Room. And for your information, I was _not _hurrying."

"_Right_…"

Caitlin waited there for him to extend a hand to help her up, but then realized how stupid that was. As she picked herself up off the ground she said, "I don't know why I thought you would actually help me up."

"Neither do I," Sirius replied, still grinning like a mad man.

Caitlin began walking down the hall again and Sirius followed behind her.

"Hey, Caitie. Can I ask you something?"

"You just did. But, go ahead."

"Do you like Remus?"

Caitlin nearly tripped over herself as the words left his mouth. She struggled to collect herself and act cool, but something told her that Sirius had seen her panic. "As a friend. Why do you ask?"

Okay, so it was a bit of a lie. She liked him more than a friend, a lot more. But Sirius didn't have to know that.

"Oh, no reason," he answered nonchalantly. "I just thought…nah, never mind. Forget I asked."

'_Damn him! Now that he's got my attention…' _

"No, why?" Caitlin asked.

"I said forget it."

"Sirius."

"Really, it's not important."

"Black, if you don't tell me right this instant I swear I will make sure that no girl ever so much as looks at you ever again," Caitlin threatened, stopping him in his tracks.

Sirius went deadly silent as the threat took its toll. Finally he said, "I asked because it seems that you two are rather cozy together."

Caitlin tried to laugh it off and failed miserably. "We've been friends for six years, what do you expect? Me and you are the same," she said.

"Except you don't look like a cherry tomato right now from blushing so hard."

"I was not blushing!"

"Yeah, and I'll kiss a Slytherin," Sirius said sarcastically. He slung an arm around her shoulders as they presumed walking down the hall. "Let me give you some advice, Caitie," he began. "As you know am I fairly experienced in the field of relationships and so…"

"I hardly consider a snog session a relationship, Sirius," Caitlin interrupted.

Sirius paused for a moment. "Besides that point…I know a lot. So," he began. "If you find someone you like and want them, all you have to do is take them. Simple enough right?"

Caitlin drew away from his arm and folded her own crossly. "Sirius, you're talking as if I wanted to buy a new pair of shoes. We were talking about me trying to start a relationship with…"

She slowed as the grin on Sirius' face grew wider. She frowned and punched him in the arm. Hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" Sirius exclaimed holding his arm.

"That's for being a prat! And this…," she punched him on the other arm, "is for tricking me into saying that I liked Remus!"

"I didn't trick you!" Sirius said, now holding both of his arms. "You would have said it anyway!"

"And what makes you think I would have said something crazy like that?"

"We were having a heart-to-heart!" Sirius exclaimed. "Girls always break down and cry and confess everything whenever they talk about mushy stuff like this!"

Caitlin gaped at him. "Who was the last girl you had a heart-to-heart with Sirius Black?"

He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water as he tried to think of an answer.

"Exactly!" she huffed before walking off in the direction of the Common Room.

She was about half-way down the hall when Sirius called, "I know you like him! It's only a matter of time before it comes out!"

"Don't make me aim for your face next time, Black!"

With that she hurried off and didn't stop for anything else the entire way.

It was quiet in the Common Room, a few hours after the conversation with dear Mr. Black, and Caitlin was 'doing homework'. In truth, she was staring at her half-written page while thousands of thoughts ran through her head. It appeared that what Sirius had said earlier had affected her somewhat, no matter how much she wished it hadn't. It was difficult for her to accept the fact that Sirius had been right for once. And that was what worried her most. Was she really that obvious? She had lied to Remus about her feelings and he seemed to buy it, but could everyone else tell?

Another thing that was bothering her was her constant side flipping. One minute she was convinced that she could keep quiet, the next she was planning out how to tell him. She just couldn't decide! She wanted him, Merlin did she want him, but so much so she couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

The creak of the portrait hole swinging open caught her ears and she looked up, coming face to face with none other than Remus Lupin. Unthinkingly she stood, meaning to say something but no words came out. How was she supposed to tell him that she had had a crush on him since _before_ he asked her out?

"Caitie? Is something wrong?" he asked, coming into the room and placing his bag on a vacant chair.

She shook her head, still incapable of speech. What was she supposed to say? Her mind again drew a blank and Remus began to look at her in a concerned fashion.

"Are you sure?" he pressed. "You look like…"

"Remus, I like you!"

Her hands flew to her mouth as she uttered the words, her eyes growing wide with shock.

Remus blinked, looking as if he thought he had heard her wrong. He _must_ have thought he heard her wrong! Who in their right mind would actually _believe_ what she just said?

He stepped closer to her, but remained a distance away, acting as if he was walking on thin ice. "Caitlin…did you…did you say…?"

"Remus John Lupin, for the life of me I don't know why! I don't know why I feel this way! But ever since you stepped into that compartment in September, every single thought has been for you," she said breathlessly.

He continued to stare at her and Caitlin thanked the heavens that she had finally said it. It seemed as if a huge weight had been lifted from her, but another cloud lingered just overhead.

"I can't believe this!" Remus laughed. "I must…this has to be a dream. There's no way…"

Caitlin stepped even closer to him, so that only a couple of inches stood between them. "You're not dreaming. Trust me, if this was a dream this would all work out."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Caitlin sighed. "Remus, I like you. I _really_ like you. But this can't go any farther than it already has."

Remus looked at her questioningly. "Wait," he began, "you tell me you like me…just so you can tell me we shouldn't do anything about it?"

Caitlin looked down at her feet. She knew this is what she had to do. It was the right thing. If she let this happen, they might both regret it in the future.

"Remus you've been one of my best friends since our first year. If something happened and I lost your friendship, I don't know what I'd do with myself," she said.

"Who said anything about losing our friendship?" Remus said his tone harsher and louder. "Do you think we'd just be like Sirius and one of his flings?"

"No," Caitlin answered. "I'm just saying that I don't want to take that risk in case something _did_ happen."

Remus stepped away from her, running his hands through his hair, clearly frustrated. "Risk? So you'd rather we stayed friends and just forgot everything, than taking that chance and maybe being happy?"

He was nearly yelling now and Caitlin could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She fought them back as she said, "You don't understand! I can't lose you!"

"Yeah, well maybe you are now!"

The words cut into her like sharp blades that burned like fire in her heart. She stared at him disbelievingly, hoping to all hope that she had heard him wrong.

"God, Caitlin! Why does everything have to be so complicated with you?" Remus continued, his voice getting louder with each word.

"I'm not trying to make things complicated!" she yelled back, her eyes glazed over with tears. "I'm trying to do what's right! I'm trying to do what's best for us!"

"How do you know what's best for _us_," he shouted, "when you won't even let there be an _us_!"

"Remus, please! This is hard enough as it is! Just listen to me!"

"I'm tired of listening to you, Caitlin!" he cried. He grabbed his bag again and roughly flung it over his shoulder. He turned and began to escape the Common Room, making his way to the dorm stairs.

"So, that's it then?" Caitlin shouted after him.

Remus stopped on the first step and turned to look back at her.

"Yeah," he said. "That's it."

And with those words, Remus left her alone, finally understanding what it meant to be broken.


	6. Second Chances

**AN: Hoorah! A NEW CHAPTER IS UP!! **Thanks to all those wonderful people that reviewed. You guys are awesome.

**Read & Review Please!**

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own anything. I'm working on it though.

**Ruby Moon**

**Second Chances**

Caitlin went to bed early that night, but didn't sleep for a very long time. Instead she cried into her pillow until she could cry no more. The closed curtains around her bed and the silencing charm she had placed on it prevented the others from checking on her; Lily and Arianna must have figured she went to bed. She stared at the ceiling for hours, the only sound that of her occasional muffled sniffs and the sounds of deep breathing that filled the dorm.

She didn't know what time it was exactly, when she heard a curtain being pulled back and someone tip-toe across the floor. The door squeaked open and quietly snapped closed. Caitlin assumed it was Sam, who was always up at ridiculous hours, and paid no attention to it. Instead she went back to her wallowing.

Why did this happen? She should have kept her mouth shut! If she had she could have went on pretending and they both could have stayed friends. Now she had nothing.

She vaguely wondered if Remus had been thinking about her like she had about him. She doubted it, the only logical reason she could think of was if he was thinking about forgetting her. Besides, he was out with the Marauders. He was probably a werewolf now. Was it possible that even though he was in a different mind-set, he could still feel the pain she had caused him? She hoped not, he already had enough to deal with. The last thing he needed was more pain.

The truth was, even after the fight, Caitlin still had feelings for him. She couldn't stop it. She didn't think she ever could.

Suddenly the door flew open again and Caitlin heard the sound of a curtain being ripped open.

"Ari! Get up!" Sam cried.

Caitlin heard a distant grumble. Clearly, it was too early for Arianna to get up for whatever Sam wanted.

Another curtain was thrown open. This time she heard Lily move about in her bed before asking Sam, 'What the bloody hell she thought she was doing, waking them up at this ungodly hour?'

"Seriously! Get up! It's important!"

"Sam…bugger off."

"Lily, get up. No jokes this time! I swear this is serious!"

"Sam?"

"What?"

"GO TO BED!"

Sam huffed and Caitlin groaned as she heard footsteps approach her bed. Moonlight poured down on her as her bed curtain was opened. Fortunately, her back was facing Sam and so the girl couldn't see the tears that had stained her cheeks.

"Caitie! Caitie, wake up! Please, really this is important!" Sam begged.

Caitlin didn't answer, she didn't care too, and was pleased that Lily and Arianna decided to take charge.

"Sam," Arianna began, "whatever it is, it can wait until the morning."

"No, it can't!" Sam cried. "You guys don't understand! This is really bad! You have to come…!" The rest of her sentence was cut off by a pillow being thrown at her face.

"Lily!" she berated.

Lily groaned. "Look, Sam. I don't know how much coffee you've had already this morning, but can your hallucinations please wait till later? Some of us actually need sleep to function," she said.

Caitlin heard Sam sigh. "Hello? Is anyone actually listening to me? I said it is important! As in, 'we have to go down to the Common Room right now,' important!"

"Sam… if you don't shut it right now, I swear…"

"REMUS IS HURT!"

Caitlin shot up in her bed, and looked right at Sam. She could faintly see Arianna and Lily's figures sit up in their own beds, both of their figures tense.

"What?" Arianna asked.

"I said," Sam began, grateful that they were finally listening to her, "that Remus is hurt. He's in the Common Room with Sirius, James, and…"

Before she could finish, the three girls jumped out of their beds and raced for the door. Caitlin ran down the steps her heart thumping wildly in her chest. He was supposed to be safe! They were supposed to keep him safe!

She came to a halt at the bottom, and her wildly thumping heart…it stopped.

He was lying unconscious across one of the plush sofas, his head lolled to the side so that she could see the nasty gash on the side of his head. His face was a sickly white, marred by many other bloody cuts and scratches. His arms were the same, adorned with bleeding scores. For a moment she thought him dead, which was what caused her to spring into action.

She pushed past the boys who were hovering by him and knelt by his side.

"Oh God," she muttered. "What happened to him?"

"He lost control," James told her, his voice barely audible. "We had too…"

"What? Nearly kill him?" she shouted.

James fell silent again as Caitlin looked over Remus. He was still bleeding freely and the longer they waited the less time he had. She quickly pulled out her wand and tapped it against some of the wounds on his arms. Thankfully her mother had enrolled her in pre-Healer training the past summer, so she knew how to mend small cuts and breaks. The threatening gash on his head however was beyond her skill.

"He needs help. Better help than I can give him," she said. Quickly she stood, not caring that his blood was all over her. "We need to get him to the Hospital Wing," she ordered.

Sam and Peter offered to help and they each took one end of him and carried him toward the portrait hole. Caitlin began to follow them out, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face Sirius, who was looking so sullen that he looked like a different person. She didn't care though. He had nearly killed Remus. How could she feel sorry for him after that?

"Caitie, I'm so sorry…"

"Sorry isn't going to help," she snapped. "You know I'm not sure who's more dangerous; the werewolf or the three illegal Animagus who swore to protect him."

She pulled herself away from him, not caring how cruel she was being and followed the other two out of the Common Room. They didn't talk the entire way to the Hospital Wing as they were all focused on getting Remus there as fast as possible. And they did, they arrived at the door in no time at all and Caitlin banged on it loudly. She didn't care if she woke the entire school up, if only he got help.

A few moments later Madam Pomfrey opened the doors, wearing a tartan robe over her night gown.

"What is the meaning of all this…" she began, but stopped short when she saw the unconscious body being held behind Caitlin. She gasped and hurried them all in and over to an empty bed. Peter and Sam carefully placed Remus down on the bed and Madam Pomfrey immediately began to heal his wounds. Caitlin had done the best she could, but she was right in thinking that he had needed better help. He had lost a lot of blood according to Madam Pomfrey and if they had delayed any longer he may not have been in such a stable condition.

They were instructed to wait away from the bed while she did her work and Sam and Peter sat down in comfortable chairs, but Caitlin chose to stand. She couldn't believe what was going on. He was hurt, he was so hurt. Earlier she had been so worried about him being hurt _emotionally_, and now he was clinging on for life. What if he didn't make it? The last thing he would remember of her was their argument. She could lose him forever.

She wasn't going to let that happen again.

As Madam Pomfrey worked on Remus, Caitlin drifted closer and closer to the bed. She was soon hovering over Pomfrey's shoulder, watching carefully as the warden healed each of the wounds, leaving behind only a thin scar that would eventually fade. Caitlin then looked down on Remus' face. It was like he was sleeping. His face wasn't contorted in pain or agony, but she still felt sick to her stomach looking at his injuries. She wished she could see his eyes, his beautiful dark brown eyes. If she saw the glint in them, the way they _used_ to whenever he looked at her, then maybe she'd believe he'd be okay.

When Madam Pomfrey noticed her proximity, she told Caitlin off and bustled her back over to where Sam and Peter were waiting silently. They were told to keep an eye on her, making her feel like a child, and Caitlin was pushed into the middle seat. Madam Pomfrey returned to the bed, drawing the curtains around it.

The other two didn't speak and Caitlin was grateful. She didn't want to listen to what they were thinking, her own thoughts were sad enough. She sat contemplating what she was going to do after this; her mind was so screwed up that she had no idea what to think. She really only had two choices. She could leave, pretend she hadn't nearly died at the sight of him, lie and say that she didn't care, and fake that she still had no feelings other than that of a friend. Or, she could tell the truth and beg Remus for forgiveness.

About half an hour later Madam Pomfrey emerged from the closed off area and walked over to them.

"He'll be fine. He'll need to stay for at least a week to recover, but after he should be healthy enough," she told them.

Relief passed over all of them. He was going to be okay.

"Can we…can we see him?" Peter asked tentatively.

Madam Pomfrey looked ready to decline and dismiss them, but the desperate looks on their faces must have persuaded her. She nodded. "Very well…mind you, you won't get much out of him. Poor boy's not entirely conscious yet."

Peter and Sam stood and began to walk over to the bed, but stopped. Caitlin hadn't moved.

"Caitie?" Sam asked. She took a step closer, looking as if she wanted to help her out of the seat, but Caitlin shook her head.

"I'll wait," she told them. "You go ahead."

Sam continued to look at her cautiously, but nodded and walked away with Peter leaving Caitlin alone. She needed some time. She was still unsure about how this was going to play out. Would he even want her there? What if he hated her so much that he'd tell her to leave? She didn't know what she would do if she heard that.

Caitlin listened to the low mumbles coming from the bed, but didn't bother to try to eavesdrop. She didn't know if Remus was talking to them, or if Sam and Peter were just talking amongst themselves. Either way, she found she didn't care what their conversation was about, it couldn't be more important than her thoughts anyway.

A while after Peter and Sam returned, but they said nothing to her. One look from Caitlin told them that they should wait outside and so they left through the doors.

Now completely alone, Caitlin stood, finding that her knees felt weak. She walked over to the closed curtain and peaked around it. He was looking away from her, but she could tell he was awake. She didn't make any move or sound to tell him that she was there, but somehow he knew.

"You can come in," he said, his voice dead. _Unfeeling_.

Hesitantly, Caitlin slid the curtain over and stepped inside, careful to keep her space. Remus pulled himself into a more comfortable position, but to Caitlin's dismay, he didn't look at her. She looked down at her feet and a few moments passed in silence between them. Then she heard him laugh. It wasn't a pleasant laugh, it didn't warm her body in the same way his _other_ laughs did. This one was cold. It sounded full of disgust and hate.

And it was for her.

"I'm surprised you're here," he said in the same heartless voice. "Unless of course you're here because I am _in_ pain. Here to see how messed up I am now?"

She couldn't speak. How was she supposed to answer that?

"Wouldn't be surprised to hear you were jumping for joy when you found out I was nearly dead," he continued, his eyes still looking forward.

"Remus," she begged, her eyes filling with tears.

"Don't you think it's bad enough," he continued, ignoring her pleas, "that I have to go through all this shit? No, obviously not. Cause now here you are, back to torment me."

"Please…please don't…"

"I never thought you of all people would find this amusing. Killing from the inside out," he interrupted.

She couldn't take it! Her heart was being ripped to shreds by the one person she hoped could mend it.

Not believing it was possible, Caitlin began to cry, right there. Sobs racked her body and uncontrollably she fell to her knees. As tears poured down her face, she heard silence and then a shuffling sound, but her mind didn't care to place it.

"Caitlin," a soft voice whispered.

She looked up and through her tears she saw Remus sitting on the edge of the bed, looking right at her. He wordlessly pointed to the seat beside the bed and Caitlin pulled herself up and sat down in it.

"I'll admit what I said was cruel, it was terrible," he began. "But what you've done is just as bad. Didn't you think about how I would feel? For a moment my life was perfect and the next it was being pulled away from me. And I should be angry with you, I _should_ hate you… but I don't."

Caitlin stared at him, too upset to speak. His words still filled her head, and he was right. She was a terrible, horrible person. Then it clicked. He didn't hate her! He should but he didn't!

"The truth is," Remus said, his eyes growing softer as he looked at her. "I love you Caitlin. I always have."

Caitlin stared at him in shock. Yes, she knew he liked her but…love?

"And whether you want to do anything about that is up to you. Because I've realized that I can't do anything about it, except hope. I can hope that you give me a chance. I can hope that you still like me even after all this."

Caitlin opened her mouth to speak, but no words came from her. He loved her? How could it be possible that after everything she had done to him, all the suffering she had caused him, he _loved_ her?

"I…I don't…"

"You don't have to say anything now," Remus told her. "I can wait for a bit while you think about it. But just so you know, even if you don't choose to give me a chance, I'll still fight for one. Hanging out with James has shown me that anything is possible."

Caitlin nodded. That was the only answer she could give at the moment.

"You should get some sleep," Remus told her.

She stood and walked away from the bed and out of the Wing, not saying another word or giving another look to the man that _loved_ her.

Caitlin met Sam and Peter outside the door, but didn't answer when they asked if she was okay.

'_He loves me! Remus Lupin loves me!' _

She couldn't be happier, but she knew she had a big decision to make. She knew now that he didn't hate her (anything but!) and that she didn't want to every lose him, but was she ready to make that chance?

Before she knew it they had reached the Common Room and she was walking over the threshold of the portrait hole. She climbed in, feeling eyes on her but she paid them no attention. She walked over to the closest chair and fell into it, closing her eyes as she relished this new feeling. She still couldn't believe it! Remus loved her! No matter how many times she thought it, it still didn't make any sense. But she didn't mind.

It took her a while to realize that everyone was spreading out along the couches, looking as if they were getting ready to sleep. She supposed they were all going to stay in the Common Room, in case anyone needed to be comforted. So, she curled up in the seat and rested her head on the arm of the chair.

The last thing she thought before drifting off to sleep was if she was going to wake up and find it was all a dream.

XXX

Caitlin was shaken awake by Lily the next morning and saw that the others were all still in the Common Room. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stood up, dragging herself up the stairs. Arianna, Lily, and Sam followed her and they reached the dorm room and began to get dressed.

"…are going to go see Remus before we go down," Caitlin heard Lily say as she emerged from the bathroom.

"You think Madam Pomfrey will let us see him?" Ari asked, pulling a sweater over her head. For a moment Caitlin didn't understand why they were wearing Muggle clothes, but then she remembered it was Saturday and the first trip to Hogsmeade.

"Not sure," Sam said, answering Ari's question. "She didn't seem all that willing to let us visit him last night. But maybe this morning."

"I don't care if she puts the entire staff in front of the doors to block us, I'm getting in," Caitlin said as she walked over to her bed, the others watching her.

"Nice to see you again," Ari said with a smile on her face. "You went to bed early last night."

"Yeah," was Caitlin's answer.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade today, Caitie?" Lily asked in a more concerned voice, as she came over to sit on Caitlin's bed.

"I haven't really thought about it," Caitlin said while digging through her trunk for some clean clothes. "I guess you and James will be off together, and who really wants to know what Sirius will be doing…I suppose I'll just hang out with Ari and Sam."

They were all silent, and Caitlin looked at them questioningly. She couldn't help but notice that Arianna was slightly pink in the face as if she was…blushing?

"Actually Caitie," Ari began, "I'm going to Hogsmeade with Logan."

"Logan?" Caitlin asked.

"You weren't around last night so I couldn't tell you," she said. "Logan asked me out and I said yes."

There was a pause. "Wait, Logan? Defense Class, Logan? Been following you around like a lost puppy since third year, Logan?"

"He doesn't follow me around!" Ari said, but a laugh was in her voice.

Caitlin laughed too, the first time in what seemed like a long time. "Well, okay then. I'll go with Sam," she said.

Again there was silence.

"What now?" she exclaimed.

"Sam has a detention with McGonagall," Lily told her.

Caitlin looked at the girl, who had a sheepish grin on her face, and sighed.

"You could go with Peter," Arianna suggested.

Caitlin just glared.

Lily sighed. "Well, you really only have two choices. Stay here alone or go out alone," she said.

"Oh, thanks Lily," Caitlin said while she turned away to get dressed.

"Well, I don't know! This would be so much easier if Remus was well."

Caitlin finished getting dressed and followed the other girls down the stairs, all the while trying to figure out what she was going to do with herself.

They weren't allowed into the Hospital Wing to see Remus after all, and even though the army of teachers wasn't there, Caitlin still couldn't get in. So she followed the rest of the group to the Entrance Hall where she saw them off as they made their way to the village. She returned to the Common Room and sat in front of the fireplace for a while. She didn't have the energy or patience to do her homework, but she needed to do something. She sighed, realizing what her only other option was, before running upstairs to grab her coat.

It was cold outside, but she expected as much since it was the middle of November. Her coat was zipped up to her neck and her already cold hands were shoved deep into her pockets. And even though she was wearing a hat that covered them, her ears were freezing.

She walked quickly, trying to get to Hogsmeade as fast as possible so that she could find somewhere nice and warm to wait for a while. Caitlin made it there in what had to be record time and walked into the first shop she found, which conveniently was Honeyduke's. She bought some more of her favourite candies (the majority of them being high in sugar) and waited until she was warmed up before stepping outside again.

The streets were packed with students and other witches and wizards and Caitlin greeted the people she knew. She felt a little stupid walking by herself when everyone else was together, but that problem was solved quickly.

"Hey Caitlin! Wait up!"

She looked over her shoulder and saw a figure pushing through the mob of people towards her. She watched the person curiously, not knowing who it was until they were right in front of her.

"Eddie?"

Edward Conway was known by everyone else as the 'rich kid' at school. His parents were a pair of great Aurors who dealt with international affairs. They were away most of the time, leaving Eddie alone at their estate. But to Caitlin he was just Eddie, her potions partner from second year and good friend.

She hadn't really seen him since fourth year, but she hadn't expected him to changed that much. He was taller and broader than before and his dark hair was much longer. His eyes were still the same blue, but the rest of him had matured in a way that not only made him look older, but more handsome too.

"Long time no see, Caitlin," his said grinning.

"I'm so sorry I didn't write!" Caitlin apologized.

He laughed. "It's no problem. I didn't bother to write either so we're even."

Caitlin smiled back at him.

"So what are you doing out here all by yourself?" he asked.

"My friends are all busy and I didn't want to sit in the Common Room on my own," Caitlin replied.

"So," he began, "you decided that instead of being alone up at the warm castle, you'd come down here to be alone and freeze to death?"

"Pretty much."

Eddie laughed. "Well, I can hardly allow that to continue," he said in a mockingly pompous tone. "Shall I accompany you to The Three Broomsticks and perhaps buy you something warm to drink?"

Caitlin laughed as well, remembering how he would always make fun of himself by acting like a 'rich' person. "You may accompany me, good sir. And as for the drink, I suppose a nice warm Butterbeer would suffice."

They laughed and continued on their way to The Three Broomsticks.

It was very crowded inside, so Eddie told Caitlin to go find a table while he got the drinks. Caitlin did so, worming her way through the crowd to a table at the very back, which seemed to be the only one left unoccupied. She only had to wait a bit for Eddie to return with the Butterbeers and as she took a sip she felt instant warmth flow through her body.

They talked for a long time, just catching up on what they had missed in each others' lives since they last spoke. They talked about school and their families, which was how Eddie got into his story.

"So, Abbie saw the puppy and just had to have it. Mum and Dad got it for her birthday and all was well. But the thing got huge! It's the size of a wolf, the thing is!" Eddie exclaimed dramatically.

Caitlin laughed at his story. He always found a way to exaggerate even the smallest story and this was no exception. "Bigger! Could be the size of a werewolf! And of course out of all the people in the family, the thing doesn't like _me_!"

Suddenly Caitlin didn't find it so funny anymore. As soon as Eddie had said '_werewolf_' Caitlin began to think about Remus again. How was it fair that she was out having fun when he was stuck inside all alone?

"Caitlin? Hey, are you okay?"

Caitlin looked up at him to see him watching her with concern.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Just a little tired, is all."

Eddie grinned. "I guess that means I have the pleasure of walking you back up to the castle?"

Caitlin smiled. "Yep, lucky you."

Together they left the still crowded pub and made their way along the streets of Hogsmeade toward the castle. The trip back was much slower for Caitlin than the trip there was, but she enjoyed it all the same. When they reached the castle Caitlin turned to Eddie.

"Thanks for keeping me company," she said. "You were a pain, but it could have been worse."

"Well, you weren't so much fun to be with either. I was only being polite," Eddie replied.

"Oh, really? You didn't have any fun with me at all?" Caitlin asked.

"Nope!"

"Me neither."

There was a pause before both of them burst out laughing. When they had finally calmed down Caitlin said, "Seriously, it was nice of you. I needed that."

"No problem. I'll see you around," Eddie answered and turned away in the direction of Ravenclaw's Common Room.

Caitlin made her way up to the Gryffindor Common Room where she met Lily, James, Arianna, and Sirius.

"Where've you been?" Arianna asked.

Flopping onto the couch Caitlin replied, "Out."

"Thanks. Because we didn't already know that," Sirius said, picking a leaf out of her hair.

"I went out to Hogsmeade with a friend," she said.

"A friend?" Lily asked.

"Yeah."

"Who's this friend that you ditched us for?" James asked teasingly.

Caitlin looked at him. "First of all James, you guys ditched me. Second, my friend was Eddie Conway."

"Wait!" Arianna exclaimed. "You went out with _Edward_ _Conway_?"

"I didn't _go out_ with him Ari. He's just a friend," Caitlin corrected.

"Why not?" Arianna asked grinning. "He's kinda cute."

"Kinda?" Lily interrupted while grinning, "He's…"

"Hey!" James interrupted, jealousy evident on his face.

Caitlin stood up. "We're friends. That's all. Now I have some homework that needs to be done."

XXX

The next morning, Caitlin was rudely waken by Arianna, who had decided that Caitlin's sense of hearing was worthless as she screamed in her ear.

"You didn't have to yell," Caitlin grumbled as she sat up in bed. It seemed like only an hour ago the others dragged her up the stairs to go to bed because she couldn't wait to go see Remus. She had made her decision and no matter how stupid it was, she was going through with it.

She was going to say yes.

"C'mon sleeping beauty," Ari said. "We're going to the Hospital Wing now."

Caitlin jumped out of bed, already clothed and ready and raced down the stairs where the others were already waiting.

He was getting better, she had to admit, but of course that was from her view. She could see that he was a bit swollen, but that meant he was on his way to recovery. And though he did look better, his drooping eyes gave away how tired he was.

Caitlin lingered behind the group while James said, "Gosh, Moony, don't you look strikingly handsome!"

Remus smiled, which lifted Caitlin's heart. "I always knew you were the gay one, James," he laughed. "Why don't you just come clean to Lily already?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," James grumbled silently.

Caitlin stepped forward from the group, doing her best to smile without grinning like crazy. "How are you feeling, Remus?" she asked quietly.

Remus' gaze fell on her and she found him smiling. Her smile grew just a bit and she imagined his did too. Trying to be inconspicuous he said, "Oh, actually, I'm quite fine. Madame Pomfrey gave me a potion that would mask out the pain for hours at a time. Now I'm just really drowsy all of the time."

Everyone gave a short laugh, which was followed by silence.

"Listen, mate," Sirius said. "I'm sorry about all this."

"It's not your fault, Padfoot," Remus reassured him.

"I could have _killed_ you."

"But you didn't. And you prevented me from killing other people as well. Now why would I be mad at you for that?"

Sirius went to answer, but Remus interrupted him. "You know how badly I would have taken it if you informed me the day after that I had killed innocent people. Trust me…I'd much rather have it this way."

Sirius nodded and was forgiven by both Remus and Caitlin for what he had had to do.

"How long do you suppose you'll be in here?" Arianna asked.

Remus sighed. "Oh, I suspect about two days. Five days at most. It's not that bad, really," he said.

"We better leave you alone to rest, then. Having all of us in here must be a bit overwhelming to you," Lily whispered to him.

Remus smiled. "I suppose you better. It's for the best. Do tell me what I missed in class, though, would you?"

They laughed. "Typical Remus. Even when he's stuck in the Hospital Wing with injuries, all he can think about is school work," James said rolled his eyes.

"Feel better," Peter said.

Everyone began to say goodbye, but Caitlin just waited. She wondered if she should wait until he was better…

Arianna said goodbye to him last and turned to walk past Caitlin. She followed for a moment, but an idea popped into her head and she smiled. She turned back around again and walked over to the bed. Remus was watching her curiously, clearly having no idea what she was doing. So imagine his surprise when she bent down and kissed his cheek.

She pulled away from him and just waited for his reaction. He seemed completely dazed, but there was a smile on his lips and that sparkle that she loved was back in his eyes. She smiled before she turned and left the Hospital Wing.

He would be alright. They would _both_ be.


End file.
